


The Broken Pane

by PoorQueequeg



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-03
Updated: 2011-11-05
Packaged: 2017-10-25 16:05:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 51,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/272158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoorQueequeg/pseuds/PoorQueequeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will-centric erotic angst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Terror made me cruel; and, finding it useless to attempt shaking the creature off, I pulled its wrist on to the broken pane, and rubbed it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes: still it wailed, 'Let me in!' and maintained its tenacious gripe, almost maddening me with fear. 'How can I!' I said at length. 'Let me go, if you want me to let you in!' The fingers relaxed, I snatched mine through the hole, hurriedly piled the books up in a pyramid against it, and stopped my ears to exclude the lamentable prayer. I seemed to keep them closed above a quarter of an hour; yet, the instant I listened again, there was the doleful cry moaning on! 'Begone!' I shouted. 'I'll never let you in, not if you beg for twenty years.' ' - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

If anyone has noticed, nobody has mentioned anything but team meetings have had a tendency to become rather tense these last few weeks. This morning is no different and Kate fiddles with her bracelet while Henry shifts in the seat beside her, as their eyes slide across the bookshelves or the floor or anywhere as Will and Magnus glower at one another across the room.

Will is protesting vehemently against Magnus' most recent request, a pick job with Henry. Will makes no bones about voicing his displeasure. He's not a delivery boy he argues he's a trained professional with plenty of other more important and more interesting matters to attend to than sitting in the van all day. Magnus is none too happy with his attitude purses her lips and raising her jaw, fixes him with her unrelenting stare. She repeats in the most serious tone that he will comply and begins to rattle off a list of perfectly legitimate reason for why it has to be Will. It's hardly the most onerous thing that she has asked of him and the Big Guy gives him a look that portends a heavy slap around the head in his near future. Will is slouched back in his seat, his right leg bent over his left, and eventually concedes the point and falls silent. He spends the rest of the meeting wearing a petulant look as he bounces his knee up and down and clicks his pen excessively. When it finally draws to a close, Will stalks off towards his office, his door slamming loudly as the click clack of Magnus' heels resounds down the hall in the opposite direction.

Henry chatters away for most of the drive while Will only half listens, making plans with Abby via text for that evening. When they return to the Sanctuary it's already dark and having checked in with the others, Will grabs a quick shower and is out the door in fifteen minutes. Abby lets him in when he arrives because she's still got to put her shoes on when and they're supposed to be going out for drinks. Will gets carried way kissing her and they don't make it out at all that evening. He returns to the Sanctuary early the next morning looking rumpled and smelling of Abby's perfume.

He passes Helen in the hall on her way to the pool and her eyebrow quirks ever so slightly at his appearance. No one else would have caught it but Will is nothing of not observant. He smirks at her and lets his eyes flicker over her short robe and her never ending legs. If she notices she doesn't say anything, merely bids him a curt good morning and continues on her way. He pauses and turns to look at her behind as she walks down the corridor away from him. He considers that she must know he'll be watching and feels a surge of resentment towards her because of it.

The Sanctuary ticks over in it's usual way, lurching from one crisis to another. Magnus patches him up more than once and he enjoys her concerned smiles and her big wet eyes, her elegant fingers ever so gently applying salves and bandages. He also endures more than one dressing down and more heated discussion with Magnus at their morning meetings. Will admits to himself that he rather enjoys getting a rise out of her and considers it pay back for torturing him with, amongst other things, those short skirts she wears. There are still many things he won't admit. He continues to see Abby fairly frequently and even though he finds it increasingly difficult to relate to her, he makes the effort. She's sweet and kind and her puns aren't terrible and he really likes her a lot.

He accompanies Magnus to Istanbul for a meeting with several heads of house.

"It'll be good Will," Helen tells him with a smile as she hands him the agenda over her desk. "Gives us a chance to touch base, to reconnect after everything that's happened this past year". He nods in agreement and gives her a mild smile before he leaves to pack his case.

It's purely a business trip and comes out of the Sanctuary budget but naturally Magnus has booked them into what Will is sure is the most expensive hotel in the city. He's happy enough with the comfort but still manages to feel slightly annoyed at her and how easy it all is. Declan is there and Will is glad of the company while the other house heads monopolise Magnus and because frankly some of them frighten him. Declan is easy going and they have enough in common to have a laugh together drinking raki in the hotel bar. Will can relax because he's noticed Declan looking at Magnus's legs enough times that he knows he won't get called on it himself.

Every now and then he hears a familiar laugh and looks over to see Magnus engaged in conversation with a pretty, sandy haired woman. He and Declan get more than tipsy but no one says anything because it tends to happen on these trips and it's a while before he notices Helen's absence. Will pretends he's not bothered and ends up chatting to a pretty girl with long dark hair. In the car on the way to the airport Magnus is pleasant enough although she also has dark circles under her eyes and he can't help but wonder how much she slept and if she was alone.

He wants to be annoyed with her for ignoring him the whole weekend when the only reason she took him was so they could reconnect but when she speaks it's with a soft, low voice and he finds it hard to be mean when he's looking directly into her big blue eyes. They chat fairly comfortably but he swears there's something in the way she's looking at him and he can't quite tell what it is. On the flight home Magnus orders a whiskey and water and when she quirks her eyebrow at him, he smiles and orders the same. They talk for a while about nothing in particular and the next thing Will realises the seat belt sign is coming on and Helen is putting away the book she's been reading since he fell asleep on her.

It's snowing in Old City when they get back. They have to get a taxi to the Sanctuary because there's a minor crisis with Steve and the Steno and the Big Guy can't make it with the car. He helps the driver get the cases out of the trunk while Helen digs out some cash to pay him, and he thinks it's charming the way she hunches her shoulders up in the cold and the how the snow sticks to her hair. He valiantly carries her case to her room and Magnus looks him in the eye and thanks him gently before sloping off to make some tea. Will is wired so he goes up to the gym and runs for an hour solid on the treadmill before taking a hot shower and spending half the night staring at the coving above his bed. The sky is turning an inky blue when he finally drifts off and when he sleeps he doesn't dream about his girlfriend.

He's bumbling along the corridor towards Henry's lab one morning, half engrossed in a requisition that Magnus asked him to check over when he overhears Kate talking.

"..and I'm telling you Hank, if he doesn't get over himself soon I'm going to shoot him. I don't care if he's the number two around here. He doesn't have to be so full of himself, barking orders at me like that and swanning in at six in the morning..." Kate trails off when Henry's eyebrows head towards his hairline.

Her eyes close for a moment and she works her jaw back and forth before plastering on a fake smile and turning towards Will, now standing in the doorway. His expression is mild, amused even. He doesn't have it in him to be annoyed with Kate even when she is badmouthing him but it's still kind of awkward.

"I'm just going to give the Big Guy a hand with the midday feedings" she says nodding, her lips curved upwards uneasily. He gives her tight smile as she brushes past him and disappears down the hall. Henry is grimacing toothily and Will breathes out slowly, handing over the papers he's carrying. Henry frowns and begins to bemoan his denied requisition and Will pulls up a stool beside him, glad for the distraction.

Later in the kitchen, Kate is leaning against the counter when Will comes in. She starts to apologise but he waves his hand in dismissal as he opens the fridge to grab a can of Pepsi. "It's okay, forget about it. I know I can be a jerk sometimes" he says.

"No, no...you're not Will" Kate protests, her tone conciliatory. "It's just lately, you've been kind of uptight, angry, I dunno. You pick fights with everyone. I'm worried, it's not like you. You're usually so...so..."

So what? Will thinks to himself. Such a pushover?

"Look, I'm sorry Kate. I've had a lot on my mind and.." He pauses mid sentence, trying to think of something else to say but the truth is he doesn't have the energy to talk about this right now. He's meeting Abby later and he's going to need all his energy for touchy feely stuff when he's with her. Besides, none of this is Kate's fault and he doesn't want to take it out on her. There's a moment of silence and then he gives her a smile.

"I have to get going, I'm meeting Abby...but we're cool, okay? Don't worry." She relaxes a bit and smiles back, her eyes watching the empty doorway after he leaves.

He's just opening the car door when Henry comes rushing into the garage, the lights on the van flashing as he unlocks it. "We got a situation man..." Henry starts rambling and Will locks his car with a sigh and pockets the key. The Big Guy appears to open the garage door, and Helen and Kate come in dressed in flak jackets and armed with stunners. A kevlar vest is shoved into his arms and he climbs into the back of the van. Magnus' eyes sparkle as she apprises him of the situation and her enthusiasm is infectious. He sheds his own jacket and pulls the vest over his head as she tells him about the call from a contact in the Parks Service about a bear like creature in the suburbs north of New City, except it has too many eyes and too many legs and it scared the hell out of a girl scout brigade. She's so animated he remembers why he loves this part of the job. Kate hands him a gun and climbs into the front seat next to Henry as Magnus tells him it sounds like a rare species of abnormal bear thought to have been extinct for decades. "It's a marvellous opportunity so I want to take it alive" she says pointedly, looking straight at him with big, wet, doe eyes, not quite smiling but definitely excited.

They separate into pairs, Will with Henry, Magnus with Kate, and try to come at the creature from both sides. Whatever it is, it's making a huge racket and it must stink to high heaven because Henry keeps pushing his sleeve to his nose and and breathing loudly out of his mouth. He hears Kate shout and runs towards the sound, Henry close behind. They pass through some brambles and the prickles dig hard into the flesh on his legs but he doesn't stop to complain. They emerge between two trees to see Kate squatting down, narrowly avoiding a furious blow from the creature's barbed tail. Magnus is on the other side, half obscured by the beast's large hairy body but Will can see that she's halfway up the trunk of a tree trying to retrieve her pack which has somehow ended up in the branches. Henry and Will open fire with stunners which seem to make the creature flinch but don't really slow it down much.

"Will!" he hears Magnus cry from across the clearing. "We don't have any tranqs!"

Henry curses and looks at Will with a panicked expression on his face, and Will realises that means one of them is going to have to get back to the van to get them. He nods over his shoulder and Henry sets off at a dead run while he remains with the others to try to corral the creature until he gets back. Kate's on her feet now, dancing around in front of it, trying to avoid its claws. Magnus is down from the tree and she's pulled a rope from her bag and she's looping it. Will shakes his head, grabs his own pack and starts to do the same. He's not sure what kind of crazy idea she's got into her head but he's willing to go with it for the moment.

The creature rears suddenly, its huge jaws far too close to his head for comfort. He staggers back but manages to keep his footing. Kate, ever resourceful, has started hurling rocks and it turns rapidly towards her again. As it moves its tail rises into the air and starts to swing towards Magnus. Without thinking Will darts forward and shoves her to the ground. She goes down hard and she cries out "AH!" as the air is pushed out of her lungs. Will is pressed on top of her and he can feel her breath fast and warm on his face as she gasps. "Sorry" he mutters as she stares up at him, wild eyed, alive and so very beautiful with leaves in her hair. He rolls off her and sees the creature towering over Kate. It swipes at her with a huge paw and she's knocked to the ground, her jacket sliced open around her waist. It rears up again over her crumpled form, claws extended and bellowing in a rage and Will is caught in that split second moment where he knows he has to act now or things are going to get very, very bad. He pulls his pistol from his waist and empties the clip straight into the creatures head. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

Henry appears through the trees and seeing the creature dead on the ground, drops the tranquilliser gun and heads straight towards Kate. Magnus is there a second later and soon they've got Kate on her back and her jacket open. Will stands there breathing hard, watching, waiting for Kate to make a sound.

He exhales slowly when he hears her groan and she croaks out "I'm okay, I'm okay, it's not so bad" She tries to push herself up and hisses as pain shoots through her body.

"Easy now Kate" Magnus says soothingly. "Just let me take a look alright?"

"Dude!" Henry exclaims looking at Will with his panic face still on. "What the hell happened?" Before Will can answer him, Magnus turns and gives them both an angry look and Will knows exactly how the debrief is going to pan out.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the Sanctuary, Kate sits upright on a bed in the infirmary prodding uneasily at the bandage wrapped around her midriff while Henry leans against the counter opposite chewing his lip. Magnus and Will are in the room next door and the sound of slamming drawers and trays clattering against the worktop resounds around the whole lower floor.

"...had to make a split second decision. It was the creature or Kate, if I hadn't shot the damn thing..."

Will's voice is loud.

"I'm not questioning your decision Will" Magnus interrupts angrily, "I'm just wondering why the hell we left half our kit behind. Honestly, this whole situation could have been avoided if …."

"How is this my fault?" Will bellows in response.

Kate looks up at Henry."What the hell is wrong with them?" she says shaking her head slowly. Henry raises one shoulder slightly in defeat. "I think I'm gonna go help the big guy get the carcass into the fridge" he says helpfully before leaving.

Will comes storming through the room with a face like thunder and stalks out the door. Helen comes wearing an expression that puts Kate in mind of sour lemons, a syringe full of antibiotic in hand and fixes Kate with a look. "Hold out your arm" she snaps and Kate swallows as she unbends her elbow slowly.

Later at Abby's place,Will is seated on the sofa clutching a beer and grousing about the situation as Abby strokes the back of his neck. He's angry and he's ranting but there's a lot he can't say and he finds himself getting more and more frustrated. He stops talking, gives her a smile and apologises for his bad mood. Abby gives him a sympathetic look. He prods her to talk about her day and pretends to listen while she speaks. Later when they are in bed together his heart isn't in it and he finds his mind wandering. When she pushes him down on his back and slides her hands down his body as she straddles him, he half closes his eyes and admires the way her hair falls in waves over her breasts. It's not hard in the half light to pretend she's someone else and he digs his fingers into her hips as she rises and falls above him, making her gasp. When he comes he's got her on her knees, pressing her face down into the mattress as he fucks her. Afterwards, she gives him a strange look so he strokes her arms and kisses her softly for a long time by way of apology. She sits wrapped in the bedsheets, watching with sad eyes as he pulls on his shoes and she says nothing when he kisses her goodbye.

Will gets back to the Sanctuary before the sun comes up and notices a light in Magnus' office. He approaches the open door and sees her at her desk. She's engrossed in a book and has a lamp drawn down as she's bent over peering at the page closely. He knocks softly on the door frame and she lifts her eyes to look at him. He quirks his lip at her and her lips quirk back. It's enough of an invitation for him to step forward and she sits up slowly in her chair and switches off the lamp.

"A little light reading?" he asks cautiously.

"Yes," she replies, closing the book. "Just refreshing my knowledge of our dead friend downstairs".

He moves to sit down opposite her when she rises from her desk and moves towards the couch, rubbing the knuckles on her left hand. He follows and they sit for a moment in silence. He taps his finger on the arm of the chair and she sucks on her lower lip looking at him expectantly. If she's waiting him to apologise for what happened earlier, he's not going to oblige but he's too tired to fight again even if he is irked by the presumption that he's going to say sorry for something that wasn't really his fault.

"Magnus" he starts, but she cocks her head to the side and reaches her hand out to touch his forearm. Whatever he was going to stay gets stuck in his throat as she turns to look at him solemnly.

"No Will, let me" she says softly, warmly. "I want to apologise for earlier this evening, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She smiles at him slightly. " I know what happened wasn't entirely your fault..."

Will draws his chin back and makes a face. "Entirely my fault?" he chokes out.

He wasn't going to apologise but he didn't come to her office to fight again and while he's still irritated by her words, he's more annoyed by the fact that she can get him from nought to sixty in four seconds flat. Magnus moves her hand from his arm into her lap and shakes her head slightly making a curl of hair fall across her face and stick to her lip. Will purses his lips. He's so pissed off with her and even more so because she has the audacity to be so beautiful. It's hard for him to believe she doesn't play him at every opportunity she gets, and especially now when she's giving him some half assed spiel about his responsibilities at the Sanctuary.

It's suddenly so clear to him that he's angry at her for her arrogant, bossy behaviour and the air of entitlement she projects, but more than that he's angry at himself for letting her walk all over him again and again. "You are really something you know that Magnus" he says interrupting her, standing and fully prepared to storm out of the room.

"Well excuse me" she exclaims, rising to stand behind him, "but you've hardly a picture of congeniality lately yourself, Will, and I for one am sick and tired of your bad temper and your sulking. I am your employer and if I ask you to do something I expect it to be done!" Magnus is gesturing furiously with her hands and Will pulls a face and turns to face her with his hands on hips.

"Oh that is rich, Magnus, that really is. After everything I have and done for you, you still have the nerve to bust my balls just because you're pissed you didn't get a new abnormal for your collection!" He knows it's a cheap shot but he can't help himself. It's all so easy for her, with her money and her houses and her good looks.

"How dare you? How dare you cheapen what we do here? This isn't some pet project, this is my life's work!"

"Right Magnus, and now it's mine too, and I'd appreciate a little respect you know. I'm not just your errand boy. You asked me to come here because you thought I had something worthwhile to offer and you treat me like the help!"

Magnus looks at him and tilts her head slightly to one side. She takes a step towards him and makes a gesture with her palm face down. "And you feel that I don't respect you or value you? Is that it?" He drops his gaze. That's part of it he thinks to himself but he doesn't have the strength to have this argument with her. He lifts his chin to look at her face and she's wearing that soft sweet expression and he can't stand it. "Oh, Will" she continues softly, stepping closer to him "I hope you don't really believe that, because nothing could be further from the truth." She reaches out and tentatively puts her hands on his arms. He can't bear to let her touch him so he jerks away suddenly, pushing her arms off him and walking away, out of her office. He doesn't look back to see her expression because he already knows.

Things are somewhat strained over the next few days, but Will feels like they've reached a watershed and from her behaviour it seems that Magnus feels the same. After a tense start, things are actually a little better between them and they start to slip back into a familiar rhythm. He tries to be less belligerent and Magnus refrains from publicly emasculating him quite so enthusiastically. One morning as they sit side by side in the library, he makes a off hand quip and she gives him a wide and genuine smile that makes his heart feel like it's going to burst out of his chest. She's so very beautiful sitting there in the chair beside him and she can be so warm and sweet.

Tesla arrives that afternoon and strolls into the library with his usual arrogant swagger. Will grinds his teeth and bites the inside of his cheek as Helen disappears off with him into her lab. Later as he's sitting at his desk going over some paperwork he hears Helen's laughter down the hall. They're in her office together and he can hear them talking in low murmurs but he can't quite make out what they're saying. Will's mind starts inventing scenarios and he wonders when he became such a masochist. They're standing at her desk, and Tesla's hand slips under her skirt as he leans close to whisper dirty things in Magnus' ear. She gasps and turns her face towards him and Tesla slides his fingers past her underwear and into her warm, wet pussy.

Will stands up abruptly and slams the file shut. Ten minutes later he's in his car, driving aimlessly around the city. He ends up at Abby's and even though it's a work night for her, he turns on the charm and they share more than a few glasses of wine. Abby's a giggly drunk and more than a little slutty so it doesn't take much and she's crouched down in front of him. Will winds his fingers into her hair, pushing and pulling until his cock slides to the back of her throat and she gags. He so hard he's not capable of thinking about anything but how fucking good it feels. When he looks down to watch her lips sliding across his skin he can't stop himself from imagining it's Magnus down there on her knees and she loves it, wants it and he shudders and shudders and comes hard in Abby's mouth.

Some time later Will is spread out naked on Abby's couch with his eyes closed and his arms folded behind his head. Abby sits cross legged on the floor wearing a t-shirt and twiddling the wine cork in her fingers.

"Will?" she asks quietly.

"Hmm mmm" he responds without opening his eyes. Abby sucks on her lower lip for a moment before she continues.

"Will is something wrong? Lately you've been...I don't know, different and it worries me."

He opens his eyes slowly and takes a deep breath in. He really really doesn't want to have this conversation but he should have seen it coming. Abby isn't stupid and worse she profiles behaviour for a living. He sits up slowly and rubs his hands through his hair, leaning forward slightly to press the palms of his hands into his eyes.

"Abby" he says softly. "I...I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me lately" he lies and opens his eyes to look at her concerned face. She doesn't speak and so he carries on. "There's just been so much going on for me these past few months, I feel like I've lost sight of myself. Work it just...it takes over, and I'm so caught up in everything I don't know how to get out." Another lie.

He could walk away any time, Magnus wouldn't try to stop him no matter how much he wants to think she needs him, and that's the real problem. He can't stand feeling so powerless around her when she's everything. Magnus can let him be as free as he wants because she knows deep down that she's got him hook, line and sinker. Will would never leave the Sanctuary. What would he go back to? Who would he be?

When he gets home later, he lies awake thinking about Abby, hoping he gave her enough to placate her for the time being. Will knows he should just let her go and that he's hurting her, but he can't seem to give her up just yet. She's part of his life that's for him alone, he doesn't have to share her like he does with Magnus. He's not entirely sure what to do, and so he gets up to get himself a snack from the kitchen so he doesn't have to think for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

Will is standing in the kitchen in his pyjama pants spreading mayonnaise on a piece of bread when Tesla appears at the door. He leans against the door frame with his usual smug expression on his face and a glass of red wine in the other.

"Ah, the protégée returns" he drawls with a smile, swirling the wine around in the glass. His eyes are focused intently on the red liquid as it moves. "You were conspicuous in your absence from dinner this evening William."

"I didn't think vampires needed to eat food" Will mutters under his breath as he screws the lid back onto the jar.

"Aah, so you are avoiding me!" Tesla comments and then takes a sip of his wine before stepping into the room. "I ought to be offended that you think so little of me, but I suspect the real reason for your absence might have something more to do with a certain buxom blonde than the fact of my arrival." Will turns his head to glare at Tesla who responds with a suggestive waggle of of his eyebrows. Will exhales, turns to the fridge and Tesla's smile grows wider and he chuckles. "Oh William. Well she is pretty, and I must confess there is something incredibly charming about a bright young thing like that, all that eagerness and innocence..."

Will closes the door of the fridge and picks up his plate. He turns and walks to the table, trying not listen as Tesla prattles away.

"...reminds me of my youth, those halcyon days at Oxford..."

Will puts his hands down flat on the table either side of his plate. "If you have a point, Tesla, please feel free to come to it, because I would like to eat my sandwich in peace."

Tesla stops and glares at him for a moment. "My, my, we are quite cantankerous these days aren't we?"

Will sucks on his teeth and returns Tesla's glare with one of his own and the vampire chuckles again. "Isn't love supposed to be all lightness and joy and walking on air? Or is there trouble in paradise?"

"There's you minding your own business and leaving me in peace to eat" Will replies. Tesla's smile morphs into a sneer and the hairs stand up on the back of Will's neck. He remembers that it might not be such a good idea to antagonise a vampire.

At that moment, Magnus appears at the door way with a bottle of wine. "Nikola, there you are, I've got it...oh, alright Will? I didn't think we'd see you back this evening." she says holding the bottle with both hands. Will bites back his jealousy and quirks his lips at her, "Hey Magnus". Her gaze falls on his sandwich and her mouth forms an O.

"Ooh food that's a good idea, one should always have food with wine" she exclaims setting the wine down on the table and turning towards the fridge. Nikola's sneer turns into an amused smile as he reaches his arm up to hold the door of the fridge open and Will wonders how much she's had to drink. He loathes Nikola with his entire being, for turning up unannounced and keeping Magnus up into the night, plying her with booze but he finds himself more angry at Magnus for letting him

"Hmm, cheese" she says cheerily holding a piece of slightly gooey brie in her hand. "Nikola get me a plate" she asks, putting her index finger to her lips to suck off some cheese that's stuck to the tip. "Will you come and have a drink Will?" she asks and Tesla turns his head slightly to peer at Will through slitted eyes as he closes a cupboard door.

"Er, no...that's ok Magnus" Will manages to reply pleasantly enough "I'm..tired. I was just getting a snack before bed."

Nikola stands close at Helen's side with the plate extended in front of her and she turns her head to him with a little smile and places the cheese on it before taking it from him.

"Well, if you're sure Will..."

"Come along now Helen, leave the poor boy in peace to eat and stew over his bleeding heart" Nikola utters, putting his hands on her hips and turning her towards the door.

"Oh, bye Will" Magnus manages as Tesla picks up the wine and ushers her out of the room, giving Will a smug, knowing look as they leave.

Will twists his face up, his appetite abandoning him and sits for a moment before rising to drop his sandwich into the bin and make his way up the stairs to his room. On the upper floor he hears the elevator doors opening and Magnus voice trails down the hall.

"..really need to be so antagonistic towards him Nikola" he hears her saying.

"Oh pish posh Helen, he deserves it for all his sulking. Besides I can't help it if the boy is jealous of me."

"Oh Nikola really.." and then the door to her study closes and the rest of their conversation is lost. Will turns up the hall towards his room and spend the rest of the night not really sleeping as his mind conjures up new and unusual ways to torture him with thought of Magnus and Tesla together.

He doesn't want to slide back into constantly bickering with Magnus so Will he tries to be as pleasant as he can, does his best to avoid Tesla over the next week and heaves a sigh of relief when he finally leaves. He gets a nasty scratch feeding the Steno while Kate and Henry are out with the Big Guy on a retrieval and it bleeds quite spectacularly. He sits shirtless on the bed in the infirmary while Helen applies a butterfly stitch to his forearm. She has to stand very close and he admires the way her hair gets loose and falls down across her eyes. She chuffs a little breath to blow it aside and his smile widens despite the stinging on his arm.

Magnus narrows her eyes at him slightly but she's not annoyed "And what pray tell is so amusing Doctor?" she teases. He doesn't reply just continues to smirk at her as she applies the final stitch. "There you are" she says slowly, turning his arm in her hands to give it one final look before stepping back slightly to pull off her gloves.

"Thanks" he says softly cradling his arm and watching her as she moves over the sink with the dish of used implements in hand.

"Now I want you to be careful with it this afternoon, try not to jar your arm too much or those will open and you'll bleed." She tells him.

"You realise I won't be able to finish that paperwork you asked me to do" he says happily. "It's my writing hand." He waves his damaged arm at her gently. She turns and gives him an indulgent look.

"Oh alright you cocky sod" she says and they both smile broadly at each other. "Come on, let's get some tea, I'm parched".

She hangs her white coat on the hook and he follows her out of the door. In the kitchen Helen fills the kettle while Will peruses the selection of teas that she gets Declan to bring with him whenever he flies in from London. Will sits on the edge of the table as they wait for the water, Magnus tells him about the abnormal she's sent the others to find. She's just pouring the tea into cups when her phone buzzes. She gets a serious look on her face. "Vladic" she says and presses the answer button. Tension settles in Will's stomach, it's never a good thing when the Russian Mafia call. He listens intently while Magnus talks.

"It's okay Will, he just says he has something he wants to tell me" she explains as she hurries out of the kitchen

"Well I'm not letting you go by yourself to see the Russian mafia, Magnus. I don't care how well you know him or how much you think you trust him, the man is a murderer." Will protests following her down the hall. "Seriously Magnus, I'm not taking no for an answer." They stop by the elevator and she turns to him, chewing her lip.

"Alright Will," she concedes."But just hang back and let me deal with whatever it is. We don't want to appear antagonistic." A short while later and they're in the car heading through the rougher, shabbier part of Old City. Will takes a sideways glance at Magnus sitting in the seat beside him as he drives. She checks her face in the mirror and shifts as the safety belt presses her shoulder holster uncomfortably into her her side under her leather jacket.

It starts to rain as they pull into the parking lot of a warehouse near the docks and he unbuckles his belt before turning to her. "Ready?" he asks.

"Let's go" she responds with a slight nod of her head.


	4. Chapter 4

They step out of the car and make their way under a sloping tin roof that extends over the door to the warehouse. The doorway is flanked by two surly looking men with beards who step forward as they approach.

"We've come to see Vladic" Magnus tells them coolly. They give her long look up and down and it makes Will's stomach clench, in fear or anger he can't quite tell. Magnus doesn't seem bothered in the slightest and when one of the men nods, Will follows her through the door.

Inside there are more men, some in boiler suits working on cars. It smells of motor oil and bad coffee and sweat and Will has no doubt that the shiny Mercedes and BMWs are all stolen. A man in a cheap black suit approaches them and gives a nod. "Magnus" he says in a thick, Russian accent. "You come this way". Will steps forward to follow but Cheap Suit puts his hand on his chest to stop him. "Just the woman" he says firmly, fixing Will with a hard gaze. "You wait here." Magnus turns to look at him and gives him a short nod. He doesn't want to let her out of his sight in a place like this, and doesn't much relish the prospect of being left alone with a bunch of gangsters either.

He nods back, and watches Magnus climb some stairs, her boots making the cheap metal steps clang as she goes. A door opens at the top and a chiselled man of about forty steps forward. Will guesses that must be Vladic, although he can't be sure. The man gestures into the room with his arm and speaks in Russian. Will doesn't know what he's saying but Magnus obviously does because she responds and follows him inside.

Will stands and watches the door for a while before deciding to settle against a pillar. Cheap Suit stands on the walkway outside Vladic's office, leaning on the railing to keep an eye on the room below. Will watches the men working on the cars, the air reverberating with the buzzing sound of drills and saws. He gets a few menacing looks. One guy in particular spends a long time wiping his greasy hands on a rag and staring straight at Will. Will isn't one to let himself be drawn into a fight, but he's not about to let himself be intimidated either. So he stands up straight and takes his hands out of his pocket and looks back. Greasy Hands cocks his head and utters something in Russian. Some of the other men laugh, and Greasy Hands gives Will an unpleasant smile. Will licks his teeth and crosses his arms, leaning back against the pillar. Against the wall opposite Will there is a table and a fridge and a scrawny looking guy in a t shirt is reading a magazine. He stands up exchanges a few words with Greasy Hands and looks over at Will with a toothy grin. He starts to laugh heartily as Greasy Hands continues to talk. Will gets out his phone and starts to fiddle with it to distract himself.

"Hey, you, mister" he hears across the room. "Hey, hey you, I'm speaking to you!". Scrawny Guy shouts, his accent not as strong as the others. Will's eyes flick across the room. The scrawny guy has a jocular expression on his face, his tone is teasing but mild enough. Will looks back down at his phone.

"Hey you," he calls again. "Why don't you come and take a seat while you wait?" Scrawny Guy continues. "Vladic can go for a long time so she's probably going to be a while" Will's chin jerks up and he sees Scrawny Guy thrusting with his hips, his face twisted in a mockery of pleasure. Greasy Hands guffaws with laughter. Will grinds his teeth and takes a few breaths. Cheap Suit barks something at them loudly and it seems to quell them somewhat. He turns his attention back to his phone. Let them have their fun, he thinks. He'll be out of here soon enough.

The two men continue to talk and laugh but they don't make any more attempts to goad him until Vladic's door opens and Cheap Suit steps inside. Will puts his phone in his pocket, deciding he'd better keep his hands free. He's just about at his limit, which frankly these days isn't very high, and fixes Greasy Hands with a glare, his jaw tense. Will's always been more of a thinker than a fighter but since he's been working with Magnus things have changed somewhat. Once you've taken a few knocks you realise you're not made of glass, and besides, he's been to the other side and he's not afraid of some overweight chump in a boiler suit. Greasy Hands maintains his gaze and Will takes a step forward.

"You got a problem?" Will says stepping forward. Scrawny Guy is sitting on the table with his legs on a chair and he turns to look up at Greasy Hands who stands with his feet apart and his arms crossed over his chest, a mean scowl across his face.

"My friend doesn't like the way you are looking at him" Scrawny Guy says.

"Yeah," Will jerks his chin up, posturing and Greasy Hands moves forward but then Vladic's door is open and Cheap Suit is barking in Russian again. Magnus follows him out, taking in the scenario before her. Greasy Hands doesn't take his eyes off Will.

"Will!" she says tersely. "Let's go, now!" She looks a little ruffled and the stairs rattle as she hurries down. She gives him a look and grabs his arm, ushering towards the door. Will keeps his eyes on Greasy Hands as she leads him out and behind him, he can see Scrawny guy smirking. He makes a gesture with his fingers and tongue. Will wants to break his face.

Outside it's raining heavily and they get more than a little wet on the way to the car. He slams the door forcefully as he gets in and ignores Magnus' look as he jams the key into the ignition

"What was all that about?" she asks and her turns to see her incredulous look.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he replies.

"Don't patronise me Will" She's clearly not happy with what she witnessed in the warehouse.

"Nothing, what did Vladic have to say?" He starts the engine and moves to put the shift into drive. Magnus reaches over and jerks the key out of the ignition.

" I leave you alone for ten minutes and when I come back..." Will stares at the rain streaking down the windscreen as she speaks.

"And when you come back what?" he snaps. "Nothing happened, nothing was going to happen."

"Well it didn't look like that to me Will, it looked very much like you were going to let that man goad you into a fight. Do you have any idea how utterly reckless that was? Honestly Will! You need to deal with this temper of yours!"

"And just stand there and let that guy disrespect me? Disrespect you? I'm not going to let some fat, greasy thug..."

"Oh Will," she says, understanding but clearly exasperated. "You can't let things like that get to you. That's how people like this function, by intimidation."

Will clenches his jaw and bites back a spiteful reply and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, okay. Can we just get out of here?" Magnus lets him take the key from her and he starts the car. She turns away and worries her lip with her finger as they pull out.

"Now tell me what Vladic had to say."

Magnus expels a breath and relates the details of her meeting. Vladic figures she owes him a favour and he's calling it in. Will pushes down the jealous voice in his head that stirs up images of her returning the favour to Vladic in his office while he waits downstairs, and forces himself to listen. A rival gang has set up an operation similar to the one he and Kate took out last year. Vladic is no hero and not above using abnormals if it benefits him, but he doesn't like the encroachment on his turf.

"So you inform the authorities and we take out the operation..." Will supplies.

"And Vladic deals with a rival without any cost to his own organisation" Magnus finishes bitterly.

They stop at a red light and he looks over at Magnus. She's staring straight ahead through the windscreen, considering.

"What are you going to do?" he asks her softly. She sighs.

"What choice do we have Will? We can't let these people continue, and at least this way we'll stop lives being lost when Vladic's finally had enough and goes in and deals with them himself. And..."

"And you owe him a favor." Will finishes for her and she turns to him with a sad look. She gives a slight shrug. They sit for a minute more in silence, and Will listens to the sound of the rain on the roof of the car.

"I'm sorry about before, about losing it back there" he says. She looks at him with her big blue eyes and her expression softens.

"It's okay Will. I know things have been hard for you lately." She sounds tired and apologetic. "I know I haven't helped things, and I'm sorry." She looks him directly in the eye and he's frozen by it. He looks at her mouth and then back up to her eyes. He knows she's seen it but it's not the first time he's gazed at her so she just smiles meekly back. "Lights green" she says and he turns his attention back to the road.

Will roams the halls of the Sanctuary that evening, listless and without purpose. He finds Magnus in the library sorting heaps of books.

"Can't get to sleep?" she asks and he shrugs one shoulder. She hands him a book. "You may as well give me a hand then." She gives him a smile and a wink and he stands at the bottom of the ladder as she slides the books gently into place. He runs his fingers down the spines of some of the older books, and enjoys the way they stick and creak when he opens them. The yellowed pages are stiff at the edges and he finds the stale smell of them comforting somehow.

"That is a very old edition Will" Magnus says. He turns his gaze up to her and she's half standing on the ladder, one foot hanging free and holding on to the rung by her head. She's absently waggling her foot so that her shoe is threatening to slip off but never quite does. "It belonged to my Grandfather."

"It's beautiful" he replies, looking back down at the book and running his fingers over the gilt embellishment on the cover. "Shouldn't you keep it safe?"

She smiles and turning into the ladder, climbs down the last few rungs to stand beside him. "Oh probably, but I always feel that books are meant to be read, you know. What's the point of it if it just sits tucked away in a box out of reach?" She takes it from him and turns it around in her neatly manicured hands.

"But something like this, I mean...it's precious...it's a memento from another age, it's irreplaceable really." She looks up him with a strange look on her face and stares into his eyes for a moment. Then she smiles one of her sad, wizened smiles.

"Oh Will I have enough mementos don't you think? This place is full of them, not to mention the attic in London. Besides, it's just a thing, it doesn't really matter to me, no matter how many memories it has attached to it. No, let it stay here on display with all the other books, let it have a purpose." She falls silent and walks a few paces away to slide the book back into its proper place on the shelf.

"Life without purpose isn't life" he states, his gaze roaming over the innumerable spines on the shelves around him. When he looks back at her she's giving him an odd look, almost stricken. "Magnus, is something wrong?"

She shakes her head slightly and walks towards the table. "Nothing Will, it's just..." she trails off.

"What" he asks with a small smile on his face.

"Sometimes I forget how very wise you can be." She replies. "It surprises me. It shouldn't really, it's part of why I brought you here, but...still."

He's silent as she stands beside him, lifting one book at a time and inspecting them briefly before putting them into different pile. He swallows and looks at her profile intently. She's so very close beside him. She looks up briefly and he catches her eyes for a moment, and her lips part as she stands trapped by his gaze.

Magnus turns away from him abruptly and begins to climb the ladder with a couple of books in hand. Will stands frozen watching her, wondering, wanting so desperately to kiss her.

"Will, would you pass me that book, the red one" she asks meekly without looking up. He turns and picks up the book, stepping forward to the foot of the ladder to reach her. He stays there, looking up at her and when she climbs down he doesn't move away. She turns and he presses against her, cups her head in his hands and kisses her softly.

She exhales and her hands reach up to clutch at his shirt. She makes half a moan that might be his name or might be a protest but his lips are insistent against hers and her eyes slip shut. After a moment she softens in his arms and lets him kiss her, kisses him back. He groans into her mouth and they stand there for an interminable time. The kisses are soft at first, sweet. He sucks on her lips, slides his fingers across her cheeks and through her hair and she moans his name. The kisses deepen and she slides her tongue across his over and over and clutches the back of his head with one hand as the other trails up and down his side. He begins to slide his hands ever so softly across her body. It's glorious, Will thinks, he never wants to stop kissing her, but when his hand slides up her thigh and under her skirt to squeeze her ass, she gasps suddenly and grasping his head in her hands, pulls his lips away from her.

"Will" she says, and when he looks at her she doesn't meet his gaze. He's breathing hard and she can feel his arousal pressed against her. He reaches for her lips again, but she holds him firm. "Will, we have to stop..."

"Helen." His voice is hoarse, almost pleading. "Helen." he says more firmly and brushes her hair away from her neck and begins to lay kisses across her throat, pressing his tongue into the dip of her collarbone. She lets her head fall back and her hands clutch at his hair. She's panting, she wants so badly to press back against him and it feels so good the way his fingers are stroking up her leg to that sensitive spot where her thigh meets the curve of her ass. Will reaches for her lips again and he cups her behind, his fingers sliding under the elastic of her underwear. Magnus opens her eyes wide and grasping his shoulders pushes him firmly away from her. "Will we have to stop, now" she says. He steps back a little, not far but far enough and looks at her flushed face.

"I don't want to stop." His voice is breathy. "Helen, I want..."

"No, Will," she shakes her head and slides out of his grasp, walking two or three steps to stand beside the table. She stops for a moment and puts both her palms down flat on the smooth wood surface and takes a few breaths to calm herself. "This is foolish. We can't Will." She looks up at his face, sees the want in his eyes.

"Foolish? What? Why?" he stammers, stepping closer. She raises a hand to stop him. "I want you, you must know how much."

"Oh Will,"she says sadly, shaking her head and sucking her lower lip into her mouth. "This can't happen, you know that. For so many reasons."

"I...don't care...I don't ….tell me why, tell me one good reason why?"

She hesitates and after a moment raises her chin to look him in they eye. "Well, Abby...there's one."

Will is frozen to the spot. He doesn't reply and when he lifts his head the look on Magnus' face makes his heart sink. Her face is screwed up, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. "Will" she repeats, shaking her head. He steps towards her and she stiffens but doesn't move out of reach.

"Helen I...I know I...but it's you, I want you. You must know that I love you." He stumbles over the words.

Magnus closes her eyes, her mouth opening slightly and she turns her head away from him for a moment. She expels a breath and when she looks back her expression has changed, her face morphing from stricken to sarcastic. "Oh I see, it's like that is it?" she says bitterly. "Give me some credit Will, please, I wasn't born yesterday."

Will jerks his chin back slightly, confused. It takes a moment for her words to sink in and when they do he's flabbergasted.

"Huh" he chuffs. "You think...Oh...You think I'm feeding you a line?" he asks incredulously. She fixes him with a stern look and lifts her chin and there we have it, he thinks. Nought to sixty. He's gone from mad with desire for her to just mad. "You are unbelievable, you know that. That you could say that to me!" An icy knot has taken up residence in his gut, and he's trembling with hurt and rage. "I have never...NEVER...said that to anyone in my life!" he chokes out.

Magnus grips the back of a chair and lets her head fall back as he walks away.


	5. Chapter 5

After a while, Magnus pulls out the chair and sinks down into it. It's been a while since someone has thrown her the way Will has tonight and she needs some time to collect her thoughts. When she's calmed down she rises from the table and goes in search of Will, not entirely convinced that it's the best course of action considering how they parted but not sure of what else to do. She walks all around the Sanctuary looking for him but she can't find him anywhere. When she gets no answer to her gentle knocks on his door, she opens it but he isn't there. She checks his office, the gym and the kitchen and she's starting to think he's taken the car out when it occurs to her to check one last place.

She finds him sitting in her spot on the tower. The wind is cold and she shivers, pulling her wrap tight around her as she steps toward him. If he notices her approach he doesn't make any sign of it.

"You'll catch your death out here" she offers lamely. Will doesn't turn to look at her and continues to stare out over the city. She steps closer and tries again. "Will..." she begins.

"You know it really is amazing up here. You can see for miles." He pauses. "It's a good place to think, get some perspective." Will's tone is bitter. For a moment she doesn't respond but then she moves forward to sit on the turret beside him.

.

"Will, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He snorts.

"You dismiss my feelings for you like I'm just some asshole trying to get you into bed and you didn't mean to upset me?" Will doesn't look at her as he speaks.

Magnus chews on her lower lip and looks down at garden below.

"I guess you're right though" he continues. "I guess I am an asshole, I mean I've been stringing Abby along when I've known for a while it's not going to work."

"You're not an arsehole, Will" Magnus says and he snorts in amusement at her accent. He turns to look at her with a wan smile. She meets his gaze but she can't quite bring herself to share his amusement. His eyes drop to the stone wall.

"I don't know what to do Magnus...Helen...I'm so confused." Her big eyes blink slowly and he stares at her face.

"Will..."

"Don't you want me?" he asks, the sadness in his voice breaks her heart.

"It's not that simple though, is it?"

"Nothing ever is, especially not with you."

"I'm too old for you." He gives her a wide, genuine smile.

"You're too old for everyone." She can't help the grin that breaks out on her face. They look at each other for a long moment until the mirth of the situation fades and Magnus finds herself locked into his sad gaze. He's so handsome and sweet and far, far too young, and even though she wants him too, she can't let herself.

"Will there are so many reasons why this can't happen, your girlfriend being just one." He purses his lips and looks away.

"So you're just going to be alone for the rest of your life, Magnus? How long is that going to be?"

"I'm not alone Will," she looks down. His lip curls in a sneer.

"No, I guess there's always Tesla, he'll be around for a while."

"I've known him for a long time," she replies, irritated by his tone. "It's not something you can understand. I don't expect you to, but I don't need your permission or judgement thank you."

"No, you don't need my permission for anything Magnus, you can do whatever you want. You DO whatever you want, regardless of anyone else." He's angry and he's baiting her, he knows it but he can't help himself.

"This can't continue Will," she says standing up and starting towards the door. "I will not be held hostage by this petty jealousy of yours."

"Petty jealousy?" he ask incredulously., turning and sliding down off the wall to face her. Magnus stops and gestures with her hands as she speaks.

"You can't bully me into going to bed with you Will..."

"I'm not trying to bully you" he spits. "You just expect me to sit around and bite my tongue and watch you go to bed with god knows who?"

"God, Will, we're not even in a relationship and you're already inventing all the ways I'm going to betray you. I can't live with that Will, I've been down that road before." She doesn't have to say any more for him to know she's talking about Druitt.

Will realises at that moment how cold it is on the roof as he looks into her sad eyes. He's been so caught up in his own bleeding heart, it never crossed his mind to think about hers.

"Helen," he says softly. She blinks back a tear, her lip trembles. "Let's go inside."

He follows Magnus down the stairs and they emerge on the upper level corridor. Helen is clutching at her wrap and shivering slightly and he wants to put his arms around her but doesn't dare.

In her office she moves to stand in front of the fire, bending stiffly to shove the guard out of the way. Will watches her pick up the poker and the riddle embers before picking up a small piece of wood and dropping it on top. She stands up straight and rubs her hands up and down her arms. Staring at the fire she speaks.

"Will I think I'd quite like a drink." She turns her head and looks at him over her shoulder, her hair a mess from the wind. He nods and walks over to pour them both a brandy and sits on the sofa near her, holding the glass out.

Magnus takes it from him with a quirk of her lips and they stay like that in an awkward silence. The wood begins to snap and crackle as it catches, Will stares at it for a while and drinks his brandy.

After a while he speaks. "Magnus...I'm sorry." She's staring down into her glass looking thoughtful. "I was too caught up in my own head, I didn't..." He pauses again. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

She purses her lips and lifts her glass before she speaks. "I always think it's rather tedious listening to people talk about their previous relationships, don't you?" She tilts the glass and takes a sip, still not looking at him. Magnus is very open minded but she was still brought up in Victorian England, Will thinks. He doesn't know how to respond to her coolness. She turns to look at him. "I'm sorry Will, I don't mean to be..."she hesitates. "It's not something I've ever really talked about. It's not something I particularly care to talk about."

Will has spent his fare share of time trying to figure out why Magnus keeps letting Druitt back in the house after everything he's done. Entire acts of their relationship have played out in his mind as he lies awake at night thinking about her and even though he's desperate to know everything he doesn't want to push her into talking about something that's obviously so painful.

"You had his child." he says softly. She freezes and turns to look at him and he instantly regrets saying it.

"She was mine first," she says hurriedly almost like she's making an excuse. "She was mine and I wanted her, no matter who her father was. You think I wanted my daughter to have a father like that?" Magnus shakes her head, clearly distressed and Will puts his glass down and stands beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's okay." he soothes her. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I won't ask you about it again." She's staring into the fire again as she nods at him. He stays beside her and watches her finish her drink. She turns towards him and reaches past him to put her empty glass down and when she straightens up, she's more or less in his arms. She lets her wrap fall to the floor and takes his face in her hands and starts to kiss him slowly on the lips. Will lets his hands move up to her arms and begins to stroke up and down gently.

"Will" she murmurs and presses her body against him. He lets her back him up against the sofa and he pulls her down on top of him. Her hands are everywhere and he buries his fingers in her hair. His body feels like it's on fire when she runs her hands across his chest to push his t-shirt up over his head. Will sits up and she slides into his lap, kissing him and scraping her nails lightly over his shoulders. His hands move across her chest and slowly undo the buttons of her blouse. Magnus lets her head fall back and grinds against him as he moves to kiss her breasts through the fabric of her bra. Will reaches behind her back and unfastens the clasp and kisses her lips as he slides it down her her arms. Magnus gasps into his mouth as his hands gently skim across her flesh to cup her. She arches into his touch and when her head falls back Will begins to slowly kiss down her neck. Her fingernails scrape his scalp and he groans at the pleasure of it as his lips fasten around a nipple. Spurred on by her soft moans he takes his time, running his tongue across the delicate mounds until she's squirming, frantic with need.

Will lays her gently among the cushions and begins to kiss his way down her stomach. She lifts her hips and he pulls her skirt down. He groans loudly at the sight of her garter belt and stockings, reaches to run his fingers over the mound of her pubis and looks up into her her eyes. They're half closed, her hair is mussed, curling up onto the cushions behind her head. A few tendrils stray down the side of her face and across her collarbone. She sucks on the nail of her right index finger and draws in a deep, rasping breath as he bends her knees up and slowly opens her legs, sliding his hands inch by torturous inch down the inside of her thighs. Helen reaches down with her left hand down to stroke her breast, twisting her nipple slowly, gently between her fingertips. Will swallows and leans in to suck on the flesh at the side of her knee, and begins to slowly work his way across her skin towards her centre.

"Oh Will" she says, her voice a husky whisper and she reaches down to stroke his hair as he runs his tongue along the crease where her thigh meets her body. He kisses her through her underwear, grasping the fabric lightly between his teeth and pulling softly. It tugs at the hairs beneath causing Helen to close her eyes and tilt her head back with a moan. Will kisses across her centre and begins to make his way up her other thigh and she bucks and squirms in protest. He smirks at her and scrapes his nails down to stroke across her as his lips continue on their way up her thigh. He rubs in delicate circles across her clit and she shudders. Impatient, Helen slides her hand inside her underwear and begins to stroke herself. Will's eyes grow wide and he sits up and reaches to hook his fingers under the elastic and pull them off. Throwing them to one side he parts her bent knees wider and his mouth falls open at the sight of her long, elegant fingers sliding across the soft pink folds of her pussy.

"Oh god," he groans and buries his face between her thighs. Magnus arches her back a and lets out a harsh cry as Will begins to run his tongue across her wet, sensitive flesh. He makes circles around her clit, runs the flat of his tongue across her. He slips a finger inside of her and she grinds against him, groaning in frustration and need. Magnus scrapes the nails of her right hand in circles across the crown of his head as her left reaches out to clutch at the cushions besides. Will adds another finger and her nails scratch against the fabric with a tearing sound as she comes.

She lies there, her chest heaving rapidly, her head lolled back and her eyes closed. Will slowly slips his fingers from her and caresses the soft skin of her thighs as he peppers her stomach with kisses. Her eyes open slightly and she continues to stroke his hair as he peers up at her, his pupils are wide and black and she feels like she could get lost in them. "Come here" she whispers. Will reaches up and they kiss deeply, Helen runs her nails across his back, down underneath the fabric at his waist. Will hums into her mouth at the pleasure of it. One hand caresses the back of his neck while the other slip slowly around his side to cup at the hard length pressed against her. Will leans back slightly and helps her unfasten his pants, his eyes running up and down her body. Magnus' lip curls up and her eyes gleam in the firelight. She pushes on his shoulder with one hand while the other slides into his shorts to stroke him. Will complies and he lets her push him back onto the rug.

She follows him down and allows her gaze to travel the length of his body. With both hands she tugs at the loops on his pants, he wriggles and she pulls them down over his knees. He sits up and cups her face, sucking on her lips as she peels his socks from his feet. Magnus runs her hands across the tops of his feet, up his legs. She skims over his hip bones, his stomach, caressing his nipples until his head is in her hands. She kisses him deeply and pushes him back down, straddling his waist. The sensation of her wet pussy sliding across the soft flesh of his stomach makes Will groan loudly, and she smiles down at him. "Oh Will" she says again and the sounds of his name on her lips makes him ache. She bends forward and places her hands either side of his head. His eyes flick down to watch the way her round breasts fall forward. She moves up across him so that her nipples stroke across his face and he turns his mouth to suck on them, his hands rubbing up and down her sides and back. Magnus begins to move down his body, caressing him with her breasts and he thrusts up against her when her wet pussy slides over his erection, and they both moan at the pleasure of it.

Will's' hands settle on her hips and he whispers her name as she rubs against him, teasing and just out of reach. Helen bites her lip at the shock of pleasure that shoots through her body when the head of his cock bumps her clit. He's so hard he's sure he's going to die if he doesn't get inside of her soon and when she looks up at him, the desire on his face makes her insides clench with need. She twists her hips in a circular motion, the sensations coursing through her causing her to let out a stream of sighs and moans. Her inner muscles tense, and she feels a desperate aching need to have him inside of her. She moves her hips and leans forward to kiss him as the head of his cock slips between her wet folds and they both gasp as she takes him inside. Will lets his head fall back into the carpet and grips her hips tightly, moaning out loudly.

"Oh Helen...Oh!" he utters.

"Oh yes, Will hmmm" she replies before kissing him. She braces her hands on either side of his head and clenches her muscles as she moves her hips up, releases and slides back down. "Oh Will that feels so... " she coos softly.

"Oh god yes, oh that's good" he mumbles into her mouth as his hand clamps down on the back of her head. His other hand slides around her hip to clutch at her ass, squeezing firmly, his fingers slipping between her cheeks to stroke across her anus as she fucks him slowly. Will closes his eyes and just lets himself enjoy the sensations of her soft, warm pussy gripping him, the sounds of her voice moaning his name and the wet slap of her sex against his. He begins to roll his hips in response to her and when her opens his eyes he strains hard at the sight of her face screwed up in pleasure. Magnus takes one of her hands and begins to rub her clit in quick, small circles, her breath coming out in short sharp pants. Will smiles, and watches her with wide eyes. His hands move to grip her ass firmly, his hard cock buried deep inside her.

"Oooh" she chokes out, a short harsh sound.

"Hmmm yeah that's it, oh like that" he murmurs to her softly. Magnus opens her eyes and looks at him. she's so close, so close and she can't speak.

"Hmmm Will" she manages to croak, and at his name Will sits upright to hold her close as she jerks against him. He holds her tightly as she comes with a long moan, her hands clutching at him needily. She makes a hissing sound and he kisses her. She's makes a few weak thrusts against him, but then she's limp in his arms. Will holds her head in his hands and rolls her onto her back. His cock slips out of her and trails hot and wet against the inside of her thigh. Magnus lies beneath him, her face and chest flushed and her eyes half closed. Will, wide eyed with lust, sweeps his gaze over her body. He runs his hands across her thighs and parts her legs. He groans and bends down to run the flat of his tongue across her centre in one long wet stroke. Magnus jerks at the pleasure of it and he flips her over, dragging her up onto her knees. Clutching at her shoulders he enters her with a smooth thrust. She's so hot and wet and her muscles ripple and clench around him. Helen begins chanting his name over and over. Will drives into her madly and then, with a few short sharp thrusts comes hard. He pushes into her a few more times sloppily, drawing out his climax for as long as he can. His thrusting slows to a gentle pump, and Will releases his grip on her shoulders to slide down behind her on the rug. He wraps his arms around her and they lie there in silence, breathing heavily.

They stay like that in silence for some time. Will's eyes are closed and he drifts in that place between waking and sleep, absently stroking up and down Helen's arm and across the palm of her hand to the tips of her fingers. He opens his eyes when he feels her shift out of his arms and watches her through hooded eyes as she leans forward to poke at the cinders in the grate. She sits forward, leaning on one arm and holding the poker in the other, looking into the hearth. Will admires the slope of her back, the curve of her breast silhouetted against the weak glow of the fire. He reaches forward and strokes her hip.

"Hey" he says quietly. Helen turns her head slightly, her profile obscured by her shoulder. Will sits up behind her, pressing his bare chest against her back. His hands move around her waist and he places a kiss on her temple. Magnus licks her lips and lets her gaze flit over his face, then raises her hands to stroke his cheek.

"Oh Will" she whispers. He gives her a little smile and nuzzles her hair. Her eyes falls closed and she turns her face back to the fire so that he can't see the sadness of her expression. She tips her head up, and closing her eyes leans back against him with a sigh. "Oh Will, what have we done?"

Magnus can feel him tense behind her. "What have we done?" His voice is soft but incredulous. She turns and looks straight at him and cups his cheek.

"Will, I ..."she can't quite get it out. "We shouldn't have..."

He turns out of her touch and leans back on both arms, closing his eyes. "Please, Magnus, please don't."

"Oh Will, what are we going to do? I don't know what you expect me to say."

"Well, then just don't say anything." Will shakes his head, his voice sad, his face screwed up.

Magnus looks at him, trying to catch his eyes but he twists his head away even as her fingers stroke through his hair.

"Will..." she pleads. "Will, please..." She grasps his head firmly and forces his gaze up to meet hers. His eyes are so incredibly sad. She swallows. "Will I just need a bit of time." She pauses. "To think about this."

"How much time?" he croaks.

She shakes her head slowly. "I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

Will doesn't press her, and there's time enough over the next few days. The others return with the abnormal and Will helps Magnus move the creature into it's new home while Henry relates the tale of its capture with some glee. Kate rolls her eyes at him and ambles stiffly away for a hot shower. Will is relatively upbeat after their encounter despite the twisting anxiety in his gut. Magnus is a little distant he thinks, but she plays along with his quips and jokes with the others and looks away bashfully whenever their eyes meet. She tells them about her meeting with Vladic that evening over the dinner table. Kate tenses her jaw and shakes her head slowly, swallowing back whatever she's feeling and Magnus puts her hands on her forearm soothingly.

"Talk to her will you?" Magnus asks him after Kate leaves, and he nods and follows her out of the room. Kate isn't very good at dealing with her feelings but Will knows that she cares deeply on the inside even if she's reluctant to show it. He wraps his arms around her in a fierce hug and she returns it, pressing her face against his shoulder as she exhales. "Thanks Will".

He can feel her breath hot and damp through his t shirt. She pulls her head up to look at him and he looks into her eyes, her face very close. She hitches a shoulder and gives him a smile. "Does Abby know what a cuddle whore you are?" she teases. Kate's smile widens but it feels like she's punched him in the gut.

The bust goes down the next evening in a basement under a bar in Old City. Magnus takes a bullet in the shoulder, and Will helps the Big Guy in the infirmary when they get back. Magnus complains loudly throughout the entire ordeal and the Big Guy pushes her down on the bed with his big hands. "Don't make me sedate you" he says in his gruff maudlin way. Will forces a smile he doesn't feel as he looks at her face.

"Physician, heal thyself" he says and squeezes her fingers. She chuffs out a breath and leans back against the pillows, her face screwed up with pain.

It's not a serious injury but it's a gunshot nonetheless so Will enforces a moratorium on work and instructs Magnus to spend a few days in bed. She complains vociferously and the Big Guy rolls his eyes at her as he lays at ray of tea beside the bed.

"Just concede defeat this time Magnus," Will tells her and she glares at him. He holds her gaze until she yields to his request. "Just let me take care of you" he says softly when the others have left the room.

"Will, I'm fine really, I don't need..."

"Magnus!" He exclaims disbelieving. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"I don't need mothering Will, I'm going to be fine" she despairs and gives him such a look that he raises his hands in defeat and shuffles out of the room.

Tesla returns unexpectedly and Will and Henry share a look as he strolls in. "Who called you?" he demands.

"Oh I have an intuition about these things, now take me to Helen at once." he commands. Magnus is as surprised as anyone by his arrival and they immediately start to bicker. Tesla berates her for her carelessness, and then sits on the bed beside her to examine her shoulder for himself. Will can see the concern behind his hard demeanour, noticing the tender way that Nikola's fingers trail across Helen's skin. "Run along now William," Tesla says dismissively "I'm sure there's something more productive you could be doing with your time instead of standing around mooning".

"Nikola!" Magnus chastises, but she won't meet Will's eyes. He tenses his jaw and walks out of the room..

Abby calls him that evening and he stares at the display on his phone for a long time, unable to summon the courage to speak to her.

"Just call me Will, please," she says in the message. "I'm worried."

"Oh dear, oh dear.." Will's head jerks up to see Tesla lounging against a pillar. "Ignoring her calls are we now?"

"Mind your own business" Will says with loathing. Tesla blinks slowly and crosses his arms over his chest.

"I'm just trying to offer a little advice in matters of the heart" he says in a cheerful, condescending manner.

"Does your heart even beat?"

Tesla tuts at him and turns to walk away. Will holds his phone in both hands and lets his head fall forward to gaze at his shoes.

"She'll never really love you, you know. You're just a child in her eyes"

Will jerks his head up, his expression bitter. Tesla can practically feel the hate pour off him and raises an eyebrow. "You can despise me all you want William, if it makes you feel better. You're not the first of Helen's little fancies I've indulged and you certainly won't be the last."

"Get out!" Will spits and Tesla turns again and saunters away. Will sits back in the chair and doesn't move for a long time.

Will is carrying a stack of files balanced on one arm and a cup of coffee in his hand when he passes Magnus' office. She is standing behind her desk struggling to pull her jacket on. Will enters and hurries towards her, dropping the files on the desk and putting down his cup. "Hey, let me help you with that," he says reaching for the back of her coat.

"Thanks" she hisses as she eases her bad shoulder into the sleeve.

"Going somewhere?" Will asks.

"I've been cooped up in here for days, I just need to get outside for a while," Magnus tells him as she reaches forward to open a drawer in her desk.

"Should you be up and about already? I mean you did get shot." His voice is concerned.

"It was just a flesh wound Will and you know it. I'm fine." Magnus slides the drawer shut.

"Still, you should be taking it easy. You're not superman."

"It's just a walk, Will." Magnus gives him a small quirk of her lips and they look at each other for a moment in silence. Will rubs his hands against the back of his t-shirt. "I'll see you later, alright?" She moves to pass him and Will steps back.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks and she stops just short of the door.

"No, Will." She sounds a little exasperated

"Then why do I get the feeling you're avoiding me?" Will takes a tentative step towards her.

Magnus drops her chin slightly and turn to face him. "I'm not avoiding you I..." she rubs her lips together. "It's been a rather stressful few days wouldn't you agree?" He nods and looks at her face, searching out her eyes. Her expression is mild enough but she's tense, and she won't hold his gaze.

"I know, and I'm trying to give you space but..." he stops when Magnus raises a hand and strokes her fingers across his bicep.

"I asked Tesla to leave. I thought...we didn't need him around making things more complicated." Will nods.

"Okay."

"I need things to carry on as normal Will, we can't let...things get in the way. You understand"

He stammers. "I..I do." She gives him a weak smile and walks out of the room.

Two days pass and they don't speak about what happened but she asked him for time and he's going to give it to her. Will's been trying to summon the courage to call Abby and hasn't quite found it yet.

The team are sitting in her office working, and he and Magnus exchange more than a few glances. Will can't help his eyes roaming over her figure and Henry catches him staring when Magnus shirt gapes as she leans over the table. Time gets late and one by one their numbers dwindle until it's just himself and Helen seated side by side on the couch. Will slouches back and rubs his hands across the shadow of stubble on his face.

"I think I might be done for the night" he says and turns to look at Magnus who is sitting slightly away from him at the other end of the couch. She nods and he sits forward, caps his pen and begins to gather his notes.

After a moment she coughs a little and then speaks. "Will, I've been speaking with Declan. He's asked if I'll go to London and be there for a meeting with the Home Secretary."

"I see." He rubs his lips together. "You sure you're up to it? Your shoulder..."

"Is much better." Magnus interrupts. "I've endured worse Will and I'm only going for a meeting. I'm not planning on getting any action." He winces a her choice of words and when he looks at her she's also pulling an awkward face. "Anyway, " she mumbles, "I just wanted to let you know that I'd be away." She doesn't say out loud but Will hears the implicit 'from you'.

"I see." He puts his hands together and rubs his nose in the crease between his forefingers.

"Will," she continues and he gives a slight shrug.

"Will," she repeats. When he turns to look at her she's watching him with a soft expression. She reaches up with her fingers trails them softly over his lips. "Please don't be upset."

He turns his face into her palm. "How do you expect me feel?" Magnus opens her mouth but no words come out. Will slides closer to her, her arm curling around his neck. "I could come with you," he suggests leaning close and twisting nearer as she turns her head slightly away.

"I could come with you and we could..."he hesitates and their gazes lock. Will leans forward and presses his lips to hers. She sighs softly and lets her fingers slide into his hair as they kiss. His hands begins to stroke lazily across her bare knee.

"Will," she murmurs and her free hand strokes gently down his chest. He feels a jolt of arousal course through his body. Helen pushes him back a little and rests her forehead against his. His hand slides up her thigh under the hem of her skirt and he smiles at the shiver that runs through her. "Not here" she says but her hand slides down to rub him through his jeans. Will emits a strangled moan, and rubs his nose against hers in an eskimo kiss.

Magnus licks her lower lip and pushes him back, and he runs his gaze across her backside as she stands and turns to put out the fire. He rises from the couch and hand slips between her legs to rub her through her panties as she bends forward, making her exhale loudly. Will presses himself against her, wrapping one arm around her, his hand sliding across her stomach and up to fondle her breasts through the black silk of blouse.

Helen groans and reaches up to grasp at the mantlepiece with both hands, her head falling forward between her arms. Will's hand slips around her thigh to rub insistently at her through her underwear. She lets her good arm curl around his head and he begins to place hot kisses on her ear and down her neck as he slips his fingers into her panties.

"Oh Will" she utters, her voice strained, pressing her ass back against him. He responds in kind and grinds his erection against her, his other hand sliding up across her neck, cradling her chin as he tilts her head to reach her lips with his own. They rock against each other for a moment and he slides his fingers into the soft curls between her legs, letting his knuckle brush against her clit and causing her to release a shuddering breath. Helen crooks her knee to give him better access and Will slips a finger into her, her hand coming down on top of his, pushing, urging him on. She loses her balance and staggers forward a step, his arms tighten around her instinctively. She lets out a hiss as pain lances through her shoulder.

"Oh god, Helen...I'm sorry" Will exclaims, his ardour cooling slightly at her discomfort. Her foot moves forward and she balances herself, stepping out of his arms. "Are you okay?" he asks.

She nods, clutching her bad arm against her and turns to face him. Her expression makes his heart pound, blood surges to his groin and he strains against his jeans. Magnus' eyes are dark and hooded, her lips parted, her chest heaving. She closes her mouth and swallows. "We should...we should go somewhere else."

He nods and she takes a step backward towards the door, and then another, and he follows. His eyes never leave her form as they walk along the corridor, not touching or speaking. She rubs her bicep firmly, her arm pressed tight against her side the whole times. The air feels cool against his warm, damp fingers. It doesn't surprise him when she turns towards his room, it's closer but he somehow doesn't think she'll invite him into her bed just yet anyway. Magnus hesitates outside his door and so he reaches forward and opens it, stepping back to let her enter first. She pauses and swallows and when he looks at her, she returns his gaze intensely.

She steps inside and he follows her, closing the door and immediately pressing her against the dresser. Their lips collide and they kiss hungrily. Will hitches her skirt up and urges her legs apart as she slides up onto the smooth wood. His hand finds its way inside her panties a moment later, and he presses two fingers into her. She releases a choked sound and pushes her hips against him as his hand begins to fuck her . Will wraps his free hand into her hair and cradles her head as he tips her back across the dresser. Magnus tugs at his t-shirt, pulling it up over her head so that she can run her hands across his chest. Her eyes flicker across his sculpted physique and she bites her lip to stifle a groan, reaching for his lips again as her hand dips lower. Will withdraws his fingers from her and hurriedly unbuckles his belt, shoving his pants down. His erection bobs in the air and she reaches down to circle the swollen head firmly with her fingers.

"Fuck" he utters and winds his hand back into her hair to pull her in for another kiss. Magnus moves his other hand to her breast and he squeezes her through her blouse. His fingers dance across the buttons one by one and he shoves the fabric cups to one side. She shudders as he rolls a nipple between his fingers and presses her chest up as he slides his lips across her flesh. She writhes beneath him and gasps. "Oh please" she chokes out wrapping her legs around his hips. The head of his cock slips against her wet folds and he pushes himself up on his forearms to watch as he slides into her. Magnus' head falls back and she bites her lip, a moan caught in her throat. Will pulls himself upright, his brows furrowed, his jaw clenched as he runs his hands down her thighs to grip her hips. He rocks against her, his eyes glued to where they are joined and she twists her head to one side with a moan. He fucks her slowly for a while, but Magnus reaches up to clutch at him, her nails digging into to the flesh of his firm ass urging him on. He admires the way her breasts jerk with the force of his movements. Will thrusts into her more purposefully and the dresser shunts across the floor with a squeal.

Her head tips back, exposing the white column of her neck, and he presses down against her to suck at the juncture of her shoulder, pressing the flat of his tongue along the bone. Magnus clutches at his head and buries her face in his shoulder and jerks beneath him. He moans into her damp skin and drives into her relentlessly until they are both gasping, struggling for breath. He feels her fingernails dig into his back, scraping outwards from his spine as her muscles clench around him and she climaxes with a shudder. Will pulls back to look at her face as she comes. He chokes, gasping out a moan and pumps erratically a few times before spending himself inside her. The pleasure is overwhelming and with arms shaking, he sinks across her chest. He closes his eyes, his head rising and falling in time with her breaths, her fingernails gently scraping across his scalp.

After a time, she shifts and Will pulls back to let her up. "Sorry," he half mumbles sleepily. "It can't be very comfortable."

She hitches a shoulder and smiles at him lazily. He steps back and pulls her upright, his arms sliding around her. Magnus rests her forehead against his shoulder for a moment and then shuffles off the edge of the dresser. Will moves back and watches as she adjusts her bra and straightens her skirt down over her legs, looking around the floor for her underwear. He steps back as she bends elegantly to pick up a scrap of black lace from the floor. She looks up at him and reaches to pull his pants around his waist as she straightens up. Will's lips curl in a smile and his fingers stroke along her forearm. He reaches forward and gently pecks at her lips. She looks intently into eyes with a sad expression for a moment before caressing his cheek gently. He grips her elbows as she turns towards the door.

"Stay, " he asks in a whisper. She shakes her head softly. He clutches her arms tightly and follows her head as she turns her head away. "Please?"

Magnus presses her forehead against his shoulder and he holds her for a minute, stroking down her back with one hand, the other curled around her head. She looks him in the eye for a brief second and then pulls away.

"Goodnight, Will," she murmurs and his head smacks gently against the wall as the door clicks shut behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

Magnus leaves for London the next afternoon. Will stands with his hands in the pockets of his jeans as the Big Guy puts her case in the trunk of the car. Magnus is dressed in long charcoal trousers and a short jacket with wide lapels that flutter around her chest as she moves. He lets his gaze slides up her legs and settle on her backside as she gives Henry some instructions. Kate is slouched against the door frame with her arms crossed, and when Will turns to look at her she cocks an eyebrow at him.

"Alright then," Magnus says, turning to him. "I'll leave everything in your capable hands Will." He returns her smile although he doesn't feel it and shuts the door behind her as she climbs into the car, his eyes following it through the gates and out of sight. He takes in a deep breath and turns to enter the house. Henry is standing next to the door and he smiles broadly.

"Okay," he says rubbing his hands together gleefully. "It's on!" Will shakes his head and sighs.

"Come on, Will. While the cat's away..." Kate says cheerfully, slapping her hand on his shoulder as they step back into the house. "We're going to fire up the games console on the big screen. You coming?"

"Ah...no I have some work I need to get finished" Will defers. Henry makes a face.

"Dude, you can not be serious!"

"No, really, it's alright. You guys go, I'll take care of things this afternoon," he replies and turns away down the hall. Kate and Henry exchange a look, and Kate raises her palms in a shrug.

Will busies himself as best he can for the rest of the afternoon. The Big Guy returns and helps him take care of the feedings, but Will can tell he'd rather be elsewhere and so releases him to play with the others. He finishes some paperwork, completes some entries he's been working on for the database, and checks through his emails. Every few minutes he stares at his phone on the desk beside him but the display remains dark. His eye flickers across the tabs on his screen and he clicks his inbox every now and then to check if any of the new messages are from Magnus. They aren't.

The sun starts to set and Will sits in his office with the lights off until it gets too dark to see any more. He switches off his monitor with a sigh, rises and makes his way downstairs. He can hear the sound of machine gun fire and explosions minutes before he reaches the AV room.

"Hey! Will's here!" Kate greets him. Henry and Big Guy don't look up as their characters battle on the big screen, their faces screwed up in concentration. Kate is sitting cross legged on the couch and rises to meet him with a smile. She wobbles slightly and grimaces. "Ah!" she squeals . "Ah, my leg!"

"Have you been drinking?" Will asks amused, taking in the empty candy wrappers and cans strewn around the table.

"No, no!" Kate protests as she hops around between the couch and the window. "Pins and needles. Ah! Shit!"

"Dammit!" Henry throws his controller down and twists back in his seat, sulking. Big Guy chuffs out in amusement.

"Sore loser. Maybe you could do with a drink after all." His voice is cheerfully gruff. Henry cocks his head to the side and looks over at Kate.

"I could drink a beer," she says looking over a Will.

"Well alright!" Henry exclaims, clapping his hands and jumping up from the sofa. "Gimme a hand Will" he says, slapping his bicep as he passes.

They return from the kitchen with two six packs and after a couple, Will relaxes a bit. He kicks his shoes off and empties his pockets onto the table. He plays a few rounds, loses twice and wins twice. He finds himself laughing at Kate's jokes and teasing, and his black mood begins to dissipate. He hasn't eaten anything since breakfast and he's a little more drunk than he should be. When the beers run out, Henry prods the Big Guy to get some of his moonshine and the others heckle him until he complies.

Later, Kate knocks over a side table trying to beat Henry to the stereo and they argue loudly over music choices while Will pours another couple of inches of whiskey into his glass. The Big Guy raises an eyebrow at him, and then grunts loudly a few times in quick succession as Will proceeds to tip Diet Coke on top. Will blows a raspberry though his lips and waves his hand as he slouches back on the sofa, his feet coming to rest on the table with a loud clunk. Loud music starts to blare from the speakers and Kate climbs over the back of the couch to flop beside Will, jostling him so that his drink splashes up over the rim of his glass and down his shirt.

"Woah, sorry man," she says jovially and reaches forward to reach her hand into a bag of peanuts. Will snorts and sits upright, swaying forward to put his glass down with a heavy clack. Kate chuckles.

"Dude you are seriously wasted!"

Will turns to give her a mock glare. "So are you!"

Kate gives him a grin and upends the bag into her mouth and paps on the crumbs

"Hmmmpf" she scowls, tossing the bag on the floor. "Need food!"

"THAT is a good idea," Henry declares, rising from his seat and backing up towards the door. "Kitchen! Let's go!" Will leans forward and tips his drink down his throat in three messy gulps as he rises out of his seat.

"Easy there Will." The Big Guy's voice is a soft, low rumble. Will squints at him, pulls his chin in and wobbles past with his arms up. He's almost at the door when there is a loud grating noise as his phone begins to vibrate, jarring against a dish on on the table.

He turns, one hand rubbing his chest while the other hangs limply by his head. Kate leans forward and flicks an empty box of cookies to the floor. "It's you."

Will steps forward, his shins bumping into the table as she picks up his phone.

"Abby," she says, holding it out to him.

Will opens his jaw wide in a stretch and closes it again. He looks down at the phone in Kate's hand for a moment. She looks up at him expectantly, her eyebrows raised. "Aren't you gonna take it?"

He breathes out heavily and takes the phone from her, turning away as he hits the answer button. Big Guy and Kate exchange a look but keep silent as Will speaks.

"Hello," he says, his voice flat.

"Will!" Abby's exclaims. "Hey! Where've you been? I've been trying to call you for a couple of days."

Will scratches his cheek and steps out of the room into the hall. "Yeeeahhh sorry" he slurs. "I been...really busy, you know."

"Has something happened? Are you ok?" she asks.

"Yah I'm fine." he replies as he walks. "It's just work, the usual kind of stuff." He turns around the corner and presses his palm flat against the wall.

"When you didn't call I thought something had happened to you." He flicks at a chip in the wall, sliding his nail under the edge of the paper. "Will? Are you there?"

"Yeah" he says, tipping his head right back. "Yeah I'm here, sorry."

"Will...is this a bad time?" Abby's voice is a little terse.

"No no no.." he chuffs out. "It's fine, I'm sorry. We just we had some stuff happen and there was some drama with the thing...I meant to call you" He's slurring heavily and he sways on his feet slightly.

"Will...are you drunk?" His snaps his head forward and staggers, his mouth forming an O as he reaches out to steady himself on a nearby console table.

"I...I...had a couple of drinks, yeah" he stutters.

"Okay." Abby is silent. Will touches his upper lip with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. He presses his hand to his face, rubbing it down across his chin in a long slow movement.

"Will?"she asks shyly.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry...I'm not in any state to talk right now. I'll..." He takes a deep breath in. "I'll call you soon, I promise."

She doesn't answer for a moment. "Okay?" Will asks.

"Okay Will, sure. I''ll speak to you soon."

"Okay. Bye then." He disconnects the call and stands staring at the screen for a moment, running his tongue over his teeth.

"Everything okay Will?" He turns to see Kate standing in the hall behind him, arms folded.

"Yeah, fine," he says with a smile.

"Something going on with you and Abby?" Kate asks stepping closer. He purses his lips for a moment before answering.

"Nyaah...it's nothing. Don't worry." She doesn't look like she believes him. "Let's go find Henry." His tone is light. Kate look at him for a moment, and he takes a step down the hall, tilting his head in the direction of the kitchen. She drops her arms to her side and follows.

Henry is in the kitchen cooking eggs. He sways back and forth in front of the pan with a piece of bread hanging from him mouth, tapping out a drum beat on the side of the stove. "Hmmm you guys," he says when they enter. "Get a plate."

Kate opens the fridge to find some sauce and Will pulls a couple of mismatched plates from the drainer. Henry slides the eggs out of the pan, slopping oil onto the table. Kate slides in beside Will with the bread in hand and they proceed to make sandwiches. The eggs are barely cooked and swimming in grease and Will hunches forward over the table as he eats. Henry babbles with his mouth full, and yolk slides down his chin.

"Hank you are so disgusting. Didn't Magnus raise you to have better table manners?" Kate wrinkles her nose at him. Henry points at her with his knife.

"You are not one to talk," he says accusingly. "You have food relics in your room that have been there so long...they're starting to evolve a rudimentary nervous system."

Kate's mouth drops open in indignation and Will snorts with laughter.

The Big Guy saunters in with his arms full of empty beer bottles and an empty bag of chips stuffed with other empty bags. Will drops a crust onto his plate and uses his tongue to remove a wedge of bread that's stuck to the roof of his mouth. He smacks his lips a few times and pushes his chair out from the table. It squeaks across the floor and he sits back, rubbing his stomach.

"Thanks Henry, now I feel sick," he complains. "I'm going to bed." He rises, staggering slightly as his ankle gets caught around the leg of the chair.

"Hmmm night Will," Henry mumbles around a mouthful of bread.

"Goodnight," Kate says, and Will waves his hand behind him without looking back as he leaves.

He flops onto his stomach across the bed and lies with his face buried in the sheets for a moment. After a while he rolls over, onto his back. Will slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He thumbs through the contacts and stares at Magnus' number for several long minutes. He knows it's a bad idea to call her, he's more than a little drunk. He just wants to hear her voice, just wants to see if she's okay, to know if she's thinking about him. He reaches out and puts his phone down on to the table beside his bed and stands up. He pulls his t-shirt over his head and tosses it onto the floor and heads to the bathroom kicking off his pants on the way.

Will splashes water on his face stares at his reflection in the mirror for a while, watching the droplets hang from his chin and fall into the basin. He leans forward and presses his forehead against the mirror and exhales loudly, creating a large misty patch across the glass. Stepping back he smears his fingers through vapor and sighs. Enough, he thinks and reaches for his toothbrush. He sits on the lid of the toilet brushing his teeth, running through all the reasons why he's not going to call her and then he stands and paces back into the bedroom, toothbrush between his teeth. He retrieves his cell and flags up her number, pulling his toothbrush out of his mouth, gripping it tightly as his thumb hovers over the button.

Will sighs, irritated with his weakness, presses dial and knocks his toothbrush against his teeth as it rings. He's disappointed but not surprised when it goes to voicemail. He tells himself it's because she's too busy, but can't help feeling she doesn't want to answer. When he hears the beep, he pulls the toothbrush out of his mouth and clenches it in his fist beside his leg before he speaks.

"Hi, it's me, Will" he begins. "I was just...checking in." He swallows and stands up. "I mean I haven't heard from you, I just wanted to make sure you got there and that you're ok." He walks into the bathroom and sets his toothbrush down beside the faucet. "Erm, things are fine here, everything's okay. I ah..." He turns out of the bathroom and rubs the heel of his hand against his eye. "I just wanted to say hi, and..." he hesitates, his heart is pounding. "I miss you, and I wish you didn't have to go." He falls silent for a moment. "Okay, that's all. Goodnight...er morning, bye." He disconnects the call and lets his hand drop to his side, staring out of the window across the darkened quad below.

Will gets into bed stiffly and lies on his back staring at the ceiling in the darkness. His mind races, the alcohol making his thoughts chaotic and jumbled. Thoughts of Magnus, of Clara, his mother, the violent and terrible things he's seen. He screws his eyes tight and twists his face around into the pillow. Helen's face pops into his head and he hold on to the image as long as he can until he gasps for breath and sits up choking. He takes a few breaths to stop his head spinning and lies back down on the pillows.

Will doesn't want to think any more, to consider what Magnus will say when she gets back. He runs his hands down his chest and cups himself through his shorts. He doesn't want to think that she won't want him, he doesn't want to know it. He closes his eyes and thinks back. In his mind she's there with him, straddling his chest in her underwear. It's her hand stroking him. In his mind's eye she leans forward, a gentle smile on her face but a gleam in her eye. Her hair falls down on either side of her face, and she caresses his cheek.

"It's alright Will," she says softly and kisses him. Will brushes her bangs out of her eyes and runs his fingers through her hair. Her hands stroke over his chest as she places soft kisses down his throat, across his body and down, down, down. He groans and slides his hand around the base of his cock and gives a few lazy strokes up and down before squeezing his balls gently. Magnus places a kiss on the the swollen tip of his erection, smiling up at him. "Will" she says again, and licks across the blunt head of his cock with the flat of her tongue. She slides her lips across it, taking him into her warm, wet mouth and sucking gently. She swirls her tongue and takes him in fully. Yes, he thinks, that's it, deeper, go deeper, and pumps his hand faster as he imagines coiling her hair around his fingers. Magnus slides her lips up and down and across him, moaning in pleasure because she loves it, she wants it, she wants him. He wraps his fingers around his throbbing shaft, making a circle and squeezing as he strokes across the head in time with Magnus' lips. He gasps, unable to catch his breath and shuddering, he comes, a hot and lonely streak across his thigh.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning he finds Henry and Kate already in the kitchen when he enters. Henry is bent over the table with his forehead in his hands, Kate is pouring a cup of coffee.

"It's that delicate HAP constitution" she says, gesturing at Henry with the coffee pot.

"Oh...shut up" Henry groans. Will rubs his eye and takes the cup that Kate proffers.

"How are you?" she asks Will.

He puffs out a little breath. "My head hurts a little but I'm okay, " he replies sipping his coffee. He puts his cup down and reaches to snag a bowl from the side. Sitting down opposite Henry, he pours some cereal into it while Kate sits at the end of the table and leans her chin on her hand. He uncaps the milk and it pours out of the bottle with a slop.

"Oh man" Henry exclaims, pushing himself back from the table. "Oh god, that milk..." he gags, getting up quickly and hurrying out of the room. Will begins to eat and Kate sips her coffee slowly, watching him. He turns to her with a quizzical expression and she smiles back with a slight tilt of her head.

"So, you're fine then?" she asks after a moment. He pauses for a moment and sits up in his chair. He swallows his cereal and nodding his head replies with a non committal "Uh huh."

Kate purses her lips and nods her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you gonna call Abby?"

He looks at her and she quirks a brow. "Why do you ask?"

She looks away and her head moves from side to side a little. "I was ….just wondering. I mean, you didn't seem all that happy to hear from her last night."

He closes eyes and takes a breath. Shit, he thinks. "Was I that bad?"

"Well no...I mean you weren't a total asshole. You were just...a little..." she trails off and shrugs.

"Crap," he says after a moment and drops his spoon into the bowl.

"Is everything okay between you two?" Kate asks softly. "Is that why you've been so...unhappy?"

"I don't know Kate, it's complicated," Will tells her. "I just...I think I need a bit of space."

"You should probably tell her that then, instead of just ignoring her." Kate says getting up. He stares at the wall in front of him while she rinses her cup.

There are plenty of things to do in the Sanctuary, so Will pops a couple of painkillers and keeps busy. He goes for a run in the evening to blow the cobwebs away. When he gets back Henry is sitting in Magnus' office.

"Oh hey Will," he calls as Will is passing. "The doc called."

Will stops and enters, walking up to the desk. "Oh yeah. What did she say?"

"She's extending her trip a few days. Says she'll be back at the end of the week." Will sucks his lower lip into his mouth and nods.

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know," he says and turns away.

Will makes his way to his room and perches on the edge of the bed to pull of his shoes. He sits for a moment with his hands either side of him on the mattress. He had his cell with him while he was out in case Magnus called.

He turns the shower as hot as it will go and stands under the spray until the room is filled with steam and his skin is red. She called the land line to speak to Henry because she didn't want to speak to him. She's not coming back because she doesn't want to face him. He rubs the shampoo into his hair a little too hard, scratching his scalp with his nails and tells himself that's what hurts.

It's lunchtime on Friday when the Big Guy takes the car out to pick Magnus up from the airport. Will hides away in the catacombs and starts going through some shipping containers from the Tokyo Sanctuary that have never been unpacked. It's close and airless in the bowels of the Sanctuary and despite the cool weather outside, he soon finds himself sweating. He peels off his sweater and dumps it on top of a crate. He finds several boxes of files written in Japanese, and some weird looking, half formed creatures in preserving jars. They're heavy and it's hard work moving them and in the end Will strips off his t-shirt and stands in the dim light in just his vest and jeans. At the bottom of one crate he finds what looks like some out of date drugs. He's opened the box and is just sliding out one of the vials to read the label when he hears a cough behind him.

"Hello Will," Magnus says. He looks at her for a long moment, clasping the vial in his palm. She looks back and her eyes seem impossibly huge and blue as she gives him a small smile. He lets his gaze flick down and up her body.

"Hey Magnus," he says quietly, with no discernible feeling. His eyes turn to the box in his hand and he slides the glass back inside.

"What are you doing down here?" she says lightly stepping forward and flicking the flap of a large cardboard box.

"Well, this stuff's been here a while," Will replies turning his back to her to put the box back inside the crate. "Thought I'd make a start on sorting through it. Good trip?"

"Hmmm" Magnus says, her lips twitching as she stands behind him. He turns to face her and she peers over his shoulder into the crate he's been working on. "Find anything interesting?"

"Maybe" he shrugs. She nods slowly and meets his gaze.

"I thought you might have come down here to hide away from me." He steps to the side and picks up a box from the floor.

"Why would you think that?" he says as he crosses the room and heaves the box onto a stack of others he's been piling up near the door.

"Will," she says tiredly. He turns to her, her shoulders slouched, her head crooked slightly to one side. He scrubs his fingers through his hair and his tongue swipes across his lower lip.

"What did you expect? Was I supposed to be waiting for you in the hall like a good boy?"

She blinks and her gaze falls away. "Don't be like that."

"How am I supposed to be?" he says in a loud, terse voice. She looks him in the eye. "You go away and you don't talk to me for a week? You left me in charge and you don't even bother to call me to tell me you're extending your trip." Magnus drops her head and shifts her feet, her arms coming to rest beside her. She grips the edge of the crate and slouches against it.

"I'm sorry...I..." she hesitates. After a moment she speaks."I got your message."

Will blinks and doesn't meet her eyes. She moves closer and raises her hand to touch him. He jerks back slightly. "Will..." she repeats softly. "I...I thought about you."

"I'm sure you did," he snaps jerking his head away as she raises her hand to cup his cheek. Magnus reaches out, clutching his shoulder and forcing him to look at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." He closes his eyes and swallows around the lump in his throat. Magnus strokes her fingers down his face, her tongue darting out to lick her lips and he knows he's in trouble.

"Then why are you being like this?" he rasps. She presses her lips together and holds his face in her hands.

"It was all so clear when I was in London," Magnus says quietly after a while. "I thought if I could just get away for a bit that when I came back I'd..." she trails off and closes her eyes.

"You'd what?"

She takes a sharp breath in. "Oh Will, don't you realise how utterly impossible all this is?" Her hands drop and she starts to turn away from him. Will reaches out and clasps her elbows and she tries to shake him off but he holds on firmly. He steps forward as he pulls her back to him, one hand reaching up to grip the back of her head and he presses his lips to hers. She gasps and kisses him back for just a moment and then her hands are on his chest and pushes him off her. "No...no, this is not what I came down here for!"

"Then what did you come down here for Magnus?" he snaps. "Did you just want to torment me a little more?"

Magnus draws her chin back in shock. "I never..." she protests.

"Well then what do you want? Because I can tell you honestly, I have no idea what is going in your head!"

"Will..." she begins but he cuts her off.

"No! No!" he mutters, turning away and reaching for his t-shirt. "Don't do that! Don't come in here and do that voice and give me that look..." He pulls his t-shirt over his head. "Just say what you came to say or leave me alone." He picks up his sweater and starts to pull it over his arms. Magnus is silent. When he looks up at her she looks sad, defeated. Will lets out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry Will," she says so sadly he thinks she might cry. "I don't want to fight with you." Will tugs his sweater on and looks up at her. After a moment she takes a step towards him.

"Please don't be angry with me." She moves closer. He tilts his head to one side and twists his face away, his eyes pricking with tears. I will not cry, he thinks.

Magnus moves closer and reaches a hand out, touching his shoulder. His eyes follow the path of her index finger down his sleeve. She sucks her lower lip into her mouth, and swallows. "I'm sorry, Will. You know I don't want to see you hurt."

He looks up into her eyes. "Helen," he utters as her hands strokes his stubbled cheek.

"You look tired, " she comments softly.

"I...I..didn't..sleep so well" Will admits, letting his eyes fall closed. She's close enough that he can smell her perfume.

"It's a good look on you," she says with a smile.

"Don't tease me." She swallows and reaches up with her other hand to hold his face. She leans forward and presses her forehead against his. Will aches to put his arms round her.

"I made up my mind in London to come back here and put an end to all this," she tells him quietly. He chews his lip and clenches his fists. "But now I'm here..." she chuffs out a slight breath and he shivers as her fingernails stroke gently across the back of his neck. Will stands frozen. His arms feel like lead weights. Her lips are so close and he wants to kiss her desperately but he can't move. Magnus moves almost imperceptibly. Her nose brushes his in the slightest of touches and then her lips press against him and he melts.

Will slides his arms around her waist and pulls her against him as they kiss. Her hands slide through his hair, across his back and under his shirt. He groans at the contact and presses her against the boxes by the door. Magnus lets her head fall back and Will immediately fastens his lips against her neck and sucks against her skin hard enough to leave a mark.

"Will," she gasps and he can't tell if it's in pleasure or in protest, all he knows is that he has to get her out of her coat and underneath him as soon as possible. His hands tugs at the seam of her shirt.

"I missed you" he murmurs into the skin of her shoulder, nuzzling her. "I couldn't stop thinking about you." Magnus clasps his head in her hands and pulls him in for another kiss. She opens her legs and he grinds against her. His hands run down her body, squeezing her breasts before he reaches for the fly of her jeans.

"Will" she groans and she peppers his face with kisses as one hand cups her, his fingers loosening buttons. Her fingers slide across his face and lips and he sucks them into his mouth as he speaks.

"I want to touch you, I want to be inside of you." he says urgently. Magnus bucks up with a loud cry as he shoves two fingers into her a little roughly. Will presses her down firmly against the boxes with his lips.

"Mmm..Will" she chokes out against his mouth. "Stop...stop!" He clasps her head in his hands and kisses her again. She squirms and pushes his shoulders hard. He staggers back a little, shocked by the force of it. Magnus hunches forward, the palms of her hands pressed back against the cardboard and looks up at him through her bangs.

"Wha...What?" Will asks, breathing hard. She takes a few deep breaths and stands up, fastening her jeans and stepping towards him. She clasps his hand.

"Not here, like this," she explains, stepping forward and stroking his beard with her free hand. "The others..."

Will stretches his arms around her and presses his face to hers. He buries his face in her hair. "Let's go somewhere, a hotel" he whispers, his breath tickling her ear. Magnus pulls back and her head falls forward. She chuffs out a little breath.

"A hotel? Really, Will..." she tilts her head, amused.

"What?" he asks, smiling back.

Magnus shakes her head at him, and slides out of his arms. "We'll talk about this later. Okay?"

He nods slowly and leans back against a pillar as she walks out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

As it transpires later turns out to be a lot longer than he hoped. That evening Magnus gets a call from a contact in the Police Department. It seems Vladic wasn't satisfied with the job they did clearing out the abnormal dealers from his turf and there's been some trouble.

Will finds himself outside the smoldering remains of a building, looking up at the smoke that still leaks from the empty windows. He passes a couple of firemen coiling up a hose and approaches the yellow tape that cordons off the area, Kate trailing behind him. A cop standing at the perimeter gives them a nod as he lifts the plastic up to let them through and they enter the blackened doorway.

Inside is a mess, the place has more or less entirely been gutted. A charred corpse lies on the floor, and Will blinks as a flashbulb goes off.

"Looks like they really did a number on this place," he comments, turning to Kate. She says nothing, just chews on her lower lip as she surveys the damage.

"Zimmerman!" a voice calls and Will turns to see Joe Kavanaugh approaching, looking harried. Will tips his chin up as Kavanaugh gestures behind him. "Thanks for coming. Back here."

Kate and Will follow him across the sooty concrete, along a narrow corridor. The walls are scorched and black and there is an acrid stench of burned skin and hair. Kavanaugh leads them into another, smaller room and Will takes a sharp breath in when he sees the walls lined with cages filled with the burnt remains of small animals. Some are still alive, although barely and their pathetic cries are like a knife in his chest. He turns to Kate, her face is screwed up hard, and she's blinking a lot as her eyes prick with tears. They share a look and he tips his head gently at her. She shakes her head and steps past him.

"I thought this was more your area of expertise," Kavanaugh says flatly, clearly disturbed by the sight.

"What happened?" Will asks.

"As far as we can tell, firebomb." Kavanaugh replies curtly. Will nods.

"We need to get them out of here," Kate says. "Is there a back entrance, somewhere we can work without too much fuss?"

Kavanaugh nods. "Service road behind, used for deliveries."

"I'll call Henry, tell him to bring the van around back," Will adds, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

Will would rather forget the next hour as they go through the cages checking for survivors. He knows without a doubt that Kate feels the same. The abnormals squeal and wail in pain and fear as they pull them out and move them into new containers for transport back the the Sanctuary. He knows some of them will have to euthanised but they have to try anyway.

He sits with Kate in the back of the van on the way home. She tries to hold back her tears but eventually she chokes out a sob and he puts his arm around her shoulder. She clings on to his coat and cries into his neck and Will glances forward to see Henry giving him a mournful look in the mirror.

Back at the Sanctuary Magnus and the Big Guy are waiting in full emergency mode. Will pulls on a white coat and does what he can to help. Magnus is tense and her tone is hard, her responses abrupt. She barks orders and Will complies without question.

They stay up all night working, and he stifles his exhaustion with cups of black coffee thick with sugar that Henry brings in from time to time. After a while, he has to stop and sits for a few moments on a gurney in the corner twisting his head around and around. Magnus doesn't seem to falter at all, staying completely focused through the whole ordeal.

"Magnus" he says softly but she doesn't seem to hear. "Magnus!" he repeats more loudly and she stops for a moment and looks up at him. "Maybe you should take a break for a minute. Drink some tea or something,"

Her eyes are wide and black and she seems to stare right through him. He's not sure if it's the lack of sleep or the adrenalin in his system but at that moment her countenance is almost otherworldy, surreal, and he's reminded that she's not like him. She's different.

"I'm fine," she answers but her voice sounds far away. She stares at him for long moment and then turns to carry on what she was doing.

Eventually Magnus tells him to get some rest, but Will is reluctant to leave so he hunkers down in a corner of the room under a blanket. He wakes to the Big Guy clearing up, and sits up on the bed rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. "Where's Magnus?" he asks.

"She went out," Big Guy replies gruffly, rubbing the counter down with alcohol.

"By herself? Where'd she go?" Will slides off the bed to stand.

"She didn't say."

Will chews his lip for a moment and tries to think where she might have gone at this hour. He leaves the Big Guy to his work and walks out and up the stairs to her office. He looks around for a minute but he can't find any clues to her whereabouts so he goes back down to search the lower levels.

He finds Henry in his lab, tapping away quietly on his keyboard.

"Henry..." Will begins to speak.

"Shhh" Henry says softly, raising his finger to his lips. He gestures to the side and Will sees Kate curled up in a chair under a blanket, fast asleep.

Will swallows and walks around the table to stand beside him. "You know where Magnus went?"

Henry looks up at him perplexed. "She's not here?"

"Big Guy said she went out, but she didn't say where." Will says, glancing at Henry's screen for a brief moment.

"Well where'd she go?" Henry scrunches his brows together. Will takes a deep breath in.

"I...I have an idea, but I really hope I'm wrong," he says. Henry tilts his head and gives a quick sideways glance.

"You don't think..."

Will exhales. "I think she might have gone to see Vladic."

"Oh man, you are not serious?" Henry starts to shake his head.

"I hope I'm wrong, believe me," Will replies, putting his hands on his lower back and turning to the window. "You try calling her again, I'm going to take the car and see if she's gone to his place." He's out the door before Henry can argue.

He hurries down to the garage, making a quick stop at the armoury on his way. Fifteen minutes later he's at Vladic's warehouse and his stomach knots at the blue flashing lights outside. There are three police cars and an ambulance, cops milling about all over the place. Will kills the engine and steps out of the car. A police officer approaches him, one hand on his gun the other held out towards him. "Sir, this is a crime scene. I'm going to have to ask you to stay back."

A feeling of dread overwhelms him but adrenalin pushes him forward, and the cop puts his hands out to shove him bodily backwards. He starts to protest when he sees a familiar face. "Kavanaugh!" he bellows and the detective raises his head at the sound of Will's voice. He steps forward, nodding to his colleague to release him.

"What happened?" Will demands.

"Retribution," Kavanaugh tells him bitterly.

"Magnus?"

Kavanaugh gestures behind him with his head. "She was inside when it happened, but she's okay. She's just getting checked out by a medic." Will breathes a long sigh of relief and starts towards the ambulance. "We're going to want to talk to her, take a statement."

Will stops and nods his head, raising his chin to meet Kavanaugh's gaze before walking on. He finds Magnus sitting on the back of the ambulance arguing with the paramedic.

"For pity's sake I told you I'm fine," she complains grabbing the man's arms and pushing them away from her head. "Will," she says sounding equal parts irritated and relieved.

"Jesus Magnus, are you okay?" He reaches out to hold her arms but she bats him away and fixes him with an irritated look.

"I wish everyone would stop bloody asking me if I'm alright," she says angrily. He looks her up and down. She has bits of plaster in her hair, one side of her body is covered with dust.

"What the hell were you doing here Magnus? Jesus, you are unbelievable!" Will chastises.

"Oh spare me, please," she retorts. He bites his tongue and looks down at her with his hands on his hips.

"You know they want to talk to you. You're going to have to go down to the station and make a statement."

Her shoulders sag. "Oh Bloody Hell!" she sighs.

Will follows Kavanaugh in his car as he escorts Magnus to the precinct.

"I'll be right outside," he tells her as she's taken into a room to give her statement and he loiters by the coffee machine down the hall. He gets a drink, the aroma stirring up memories of his life before and he peers down at the undissolved granules in the bottom of the cup, swirling the last of the liquid around to catch them.

"Will."

He looks up to see Abby standing a way down the hall. She's dressed in a crumpled pantsuit, and her hair is sticking up from her head.

"Abby," he says, stepping toward her. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she replies, crossing her arms over her chest as he approaches. Will squeezes the empty cup in his hand and the plastic creaks as it collapses beneath his fingers.

"There was some trouble...I..." he begins.

"I know," she cuts him off and he tilts his head, questioning. "I'm with Organized Crime."

"Since when?"

"For a while. You'd know if you'd bothered to ask," she tells him sourly.

"Abby..." he shakes his head, and drops the cup into the trash. He's too tired and stressed to have this conversation.

"So it seems your boss has been getting into all sorts of trouble. There are two rounds missing from her Sig."

He raises his head and meets her gaze. "You don't think..."

"She was at the scene, Will. What do you expect us to think?" Abby retorts.

"There's no way Magnus has anything to do with this," Will argues.

"Oh come on, Will. We both know you're into some pretty heavy stuff. You don't expect us to believe she was there for a cup of tea and a chat?"

"Abby, come on..." Before he can finish, a voice calls down the hall.

"Corrigan!" Abby looks over his shoulder and he turns to see a man in an ill fitting suit with his tie askew waiting at the the end of the corridor. Abby looks up at him through her eyelashes.

"Excuse me," she says brushing past him. They talk in low voices and Will can't make out what they're saying. Abby turns to give him an odd look and nods at her colleague before making her way back down the hall. Will shrugs slightly, questioning.

"Well," she says. "It seems your boss has friends in high places."

"What?" he asks, and the man in the suit walks back down the hall with a uniformed officer. They open the door to the room where Magnus is and he bends his head trying to see inside.

"There was a call from the DA's office. Apparently Dr. Magnus doesn't need to answer any of our questions," Abby tells him. She purses her lips and looks at the wall. Will swallows and worries his bottom lip.

"Abby," he says. "Look, I know it's hard for you to understand but..." he trails off, unable to find the right words. She meets his gaze. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you. I know we need to talk about this, about a lot of things."

She crosses her arms, and nods her head. She blinks rapidly a few times and takes a breath before she speaks. "I just wish you'd be honest with me, Will. How am I supposed to help you if you keep things from me?"

Will's mouth opens but no words come out, and then Magnus is standing in the doorway. Abby looks at her for a moment, and then back at Will before she turns and walks away. His eyes follow her down the hall.

Outside Magnus sits in the passenger seat looking dishevelled, her arm propped against the door as she leans her forehead into her hand, her eyes closed.

"You okay?" he asks, fiddling with the keys. She opens her eyes and gives him a sad, tired look.

"Let's just get out of here, Will. Just drive."

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care Will. Anywhere." Her eyes slide shut and she drops back against the headrest as he starts the ignition.

He guesses from her demeanour that she doesn't want to go back to the Sanctuary and so Will heads out of the city and towards the coast. He's not sure where to go so he just drives for a while until he remembers a place he went with Meg. It's not exactly the Ritz but it's quiet and out of the way, and since it's out of season he's fairly sure they'll have a space. Magnus doesn't stir until the tires crackle over the gravel driveway and she opens her eyes just as he turns off the engine.

"Where are we?" she asks sleepily, peering out the window.

"When you said anywhere, I thought you meant...anywhere but home," he explains. Magnus blinks slowly, looks out of the windshield and puffs out a breath. Will swallows, unable to read her mood, to judge if he guessed correctly.

"Come on then," she says after a while. "Let's go inside."

Will heads to the desk while Magnus loiters in the lobby, idly flicking at a vase of flowers as he hands over his credit card. He's a little nervous when he asks the woman behind the counter for the best available room, but it's not because he cares what people with think about the two of them. His fear dissolves when Helen takes hand, gives him a soft look and let's him lead her up the stairs.

The room is dominated by a large bed that seems to loom at him and Will finds his mouth has gone suddenly dry. The last thing he wants is for Magnus to think is that he's trying to take advantage of the situation. He turns to find her looking at him intently and he holds her gaze for a long moment before her lips quirk.

"Come on, then,"she says stepping forward. Stiffly, she shucks off her brown leather jacket and sits on the edge of the bed to remove her boots. He stands frozen by the door and watches her strip off her jeans and sweater. She looks up at him.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"

He nods and steps forward, toeing off his shoes and dropping his coat to the floor. Magnus reaches for the hem of his sweater and helps him pull it over his head. He tugs at his t-shirt and he stands over her bare chested. She runs her gaze over him, and he reaches down to brush his fingers across her temple. Magnus leans back on her elbows and slides across the bed until her head touches the pillow. Will lifts a knee and crawls up beside her and she reaches out to stroke his cheek gently. He leans down and kisses her softly on the lips

"Rest," he murmurs and she blinks her eyes sleepily at him and nods. Will spoons up behind her, one arm under her neck and the other wrapping around her chest. She strokes her hand up and down his forearm for a little while and he buries his nose in her hair. The last thing he thinks before he falls asleep is that her hair smells like smoke and gunpowder.


	10. Chapter 10

Will awakens later to find himself alone in the bed. He turns over to see Magnus peering through the drawn curtains, one arm pressed across her body under her breasts, the other raised as she lifts the fabric with her index finger. He sits up and she turns her head toward him, letting the curtain drop back against the windowpane.

"Hi," he says. She gives him a small smile and rubs her shoulder absently. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she replies softly coming over to sit on the edge of the bed beside him.

"What were you looking at?" he asks. Magnus sighs and raises her hands to stroke her finger across his chin.

"Nothing," she tells him. He lets out a breath and starts to speak.

"Helen, when I got to the warehouse, I thought..." Will pauses and swallows. "I was so worried. What were you doing?"

Magnus shakes her head, her hair falling across her eyes. "Will, I don't want to talk about it."

"What happened?" She doesn't meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry I was short with you before. I am glad you were there." She leans forward and kisses him softly. Will starts to say her name but then her hands are in his hair and her tongue is in his mouth He's powerless to resist and lets his arms wrap around her as she pushes him back onto the bed. Will let's his eyes fall closed and they kiss for a long time, his hands running down her back to cup her ass.

After a time, Magnus pulls up and sits back on her knees between his legs. He lifts his head to look at her as she pulls her vest over her head. When she slips off her bra, Will let's his eyes fall to her breasts and takes a long look. Magnus reaches for his hands and moves them over her chest so that's he's cupping her, squeezing his hands gently and then guiding his fingers in a V across her nipples. She lets out a slow moan and her eyes fall closed as he caresses her. Will reaches forward to kiss her but she pushes him back down onto the pillows and places her palms down flat on the bed either side of him. She leans forward, her hair cascading around face like a veil and kisses him, his hands moving to stroke up and down her sides and around her front to her chest..

She pulls back and stretches up across him, arching her back and he presses her face in the valley between her breasts. He nuzzles her for a moment and then opens his mouth to place hot,wet kisses across her skin, his hand on her back pressing her closer. Magnus emits a moan and lets one of her hands slide around to scratch her fingers across his scalp as he sucks a nipple between his lips.

"Oh, William," she sighs and the tone of her voice sends a shiver of arousal down his body and makes him ache. He repeats the action on her other breast and then runs the flat of his tongue along the crease underneath. Magnus slides down his body and reaching for his hands, pins his wrists back against the pillows. She runs her fingernails down the inside of his arms, across his bicep and through the hair of his armpits. He shudders and moans her name. Her lips curls up in a smile and her fingers travel across his well defined pectorals. She reaches down and runs her tongue across his nipple and then sucks on it as her nails caress around his sides. Will jerks when her nails run down across his stomach, the muscles twitching as jolt that feels like electricity dances through his abdomen. Magnus gives him an amused look, raising an eyebrow at him as she continues lower across the V of his stomach and along the crease where his hips meet his thighs. She strokes around the sensitive skin on the inside of his legs and Will lets his eyes fall closed as she begins to kiss her way down his body.

He lets out a groan when her her lips kiss the base of cock. He jerks a little and twists the bedsheets in his fists, trying not to thrust against her. Magnus strokes her nails up his hard length and presses his erection against her cheek as she runs her tongue along the base of him. Will draws in a sharp hiss as she slides her tongue across the underside of his scrotum to lick his perineum.

"Oh God, yes!" he utters and raises his head to watch as she sucks one testicle into her mouth. She pulls back slightly and it slides out with a wet smack and Magnus grins up at him wickedly. She repeats the action, scraping her nails across his trembling thighs and then arches her neck forward to lick his shaft from base to swollen tip in one long stroke. She flicks the tip of her tongue along the curved ridge, worrying the slit on the head to draw out a bead of pearly fluid from him. His hands fly to his face and he presses the heel of his hand against his forehead as he exhales a ragged breath through clenched teeth.

"Helen," he groans and watches as she takes him fully into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head before sliding her lips down across his flesh. Will presses his thighs down against the mattress to stifle a thrust as his cock bumps the back of her throat, her nose buried his pubic hair. She hums around him and the sensation reverberates around his whole body as she pulls up his length, her cheeks hollowing as she sucks on him. Will's hands fly down to tangle in her hair as Magnus swallows him again and he begins to mumble incoherently as she bobs her head slowly up and down. She twists her head from side to side, her tongue swirling over his hot, throbbing flesh over and over and over.

Will jerks his hips and tugs on her hair. "I'm...I'm gonna come" he gasps as pleasure begins to coil through his body. Magnus slides her hand around the base of him and squeezes as she slides her lips up. His cock leaves her mouth with a wet pop and she presses him against her cheek.

"I don't think so Doctor Zimmerman," she purrs. Will's clenches his eyes tight and grits his teeth, his breathing escaping him in a series of choked gasps. His heart pounds wildly and Magnus releases him, sitting upright to run her hands up his thighs and across his chest. He pants as she straddles his stomach, caresses his face and he gradually comes back from the precipice. His eyes fly open and he glares at her with a wild expression. Will reaches to clutch at her arms, fully intent on pressing her down into the mattress and fucking her. She grins wickedly and clutches at his biceps, her knee shifting to press against his torso, pinning him to the bed. He clasps her head in his hands and pulls her down for a brief but angry kiss.

Will let's his head drop back onto the pillow and stares up at her, breathing heavily. "What are you doing to me?" he utters and Magnus smiles before sliding her knee off his chest and pushing herself back onto her knees. Her hands grip his shoulders and she pulls him upright, kissing him soundly, his hands roaming hungrily across her body. Will slides his hand down to stroke her through her panties and finds her already gloriously wet. She jerks her hips into his hand as his finger slips past the elastic to press inside her. Magnus pushes up into her knees and Will moves his lips to her breast, his wet mouth sucking at the soft mounds. She clutches his head and lets out a cry as another finger curls inside her and she pushes down against him. Her head falls back and Will grasps around her shoulders and presses him to her as he fucks her earnestly with his fingers, rising up to press his cheek against hers and whisper hotly in her ear.

"Are you trying to make me crazy?" he growls as she bucks against him, her nails digging into his shoulders. She flinches as his thumb brushes her clit and he uses the opportunity to flip her down onto her back. Will shoves her knees apart roughly, opening her to him and twisting his fingers around inside her. Magnus arches her back with a loud cry and her hips surge up to meet him as he pumps in and out. Pulling his hand from between her legs he leans across her and trails his wet fingers over her nose and lips, slipping them into her mouth as she gasps. Her eyes fly open as she cradles them with her tongue, humming loudly. He tears his fingers from her and clutches her jaw, leaning close to whisper. "I know what you're doing," he tells her darkly, peering into her wide eyes.

She gasps. "What am I doing?" she utters and an evil smile breaks out across his face.

"You're trying to make me lose control. You want me so out of my mind that I just bend you over and fuck you," he jeers. Her eyes slide shut and she groans loudly as he presses his lips to her ear, his hot breath against her skin. "But I have plans for you," he threatens.

Magnus pants wildly as he slides back off the bed and grasps her hips, his fingers hooking underneath her panties and tugging them down. She bends her knees up and he pulls them off, the palms of his hands sliding down the inside of her thighs and roughly pushing her legs apart. His cock brushes against her as he moves closer and they both jerk at the contact, the wet heat of her arousal making him burn. Will can't remember being so turned on his whole life.

He reaches his fingers into the soft curls of her centre and parts the soft, pink flesh taking a moment to commit the image to memory as he slides his index finger over and around and inside her. Sinking to his knees he buries his face between her legs and presses his tongue in a long slow stroke across her sex. She bucks up against him and clutches at his hair.

"Mmm Will, oh yes like that," she whispers and he hums against her. She takes a sharp breath in when his lips fasten around her clit and he suckles gently, and then lets it out in a long, breathy sigh as he flicks up and down across the swollen nub with the tip of his tongue. One hand slides up across her belly to tease her breast, rubbing in slow gentle circles for a moment before pinching her nipple. Magnus lets out a cry and jerks uncontrollably beneath him.

"Oh ho!" she cries, screwing her face up, her eyes clamping tightly shut. Will clutches at her hips as she thrashes about beneath him and she comes with a shuddering moan. His face still between her legs, Will places a hot open mouth kiss over throbbing clitoris before pushing up to stand over her. She grabs one of his hands and traps it between her legs, clamping her thighs around his wrist as she twists over onto her side. She grinds against his hand and he jerks his wrist from side to side against her, her clit trapped in the v of his fingers. Magnus presses her face into the sheets and gasps, twitching as another orgasm ripples through her. Will watches with wide eyes and runs his hand down her spine, trailing his finger down between her cheeks to brush her anus before pulling her thighs apart and pressing her down flat on her back.

Her face is flushed and sweaty, tendrils of hair sticking to her cheek, her chest heaving and Will pins her wrists above her head and climbs over her. He twists his hips in a circle, the swollen head of his cock brushing against her wet centre. Her thighs tremble as she spreads her legs to cradle him and he rocks back and then forward and slides inside her with one smooth thrust. Her inner muscles are clenching around him from her orgasm and Will's mouth falls open to emit a long groan of pleasure at the sensation. Magnus gasps and her eyes fly open, locking with his as he begins to roll his hips in long, slow movements, pulling out of her almost entirely before sinking back inside.

"Oh yes," she utters hoarsely, and strains against his grip. He holds firm and presses down against her as he begins to thrust into her harder and harder. The bedframe rattles, knocking against the wall as he drives into her, panting wildly. His heart pounds inside his chest and his palms, slick with sweat, slide across the skin of her arms. Magnus drops her head back shuddering again, her inner muscles grip him and he barks out a choked sob and comes and comes and comes.

Will collapses on top of her, his face pressed against the sweaty skin of her neck. His heart is pounding so hard it's like he can feel it thrumming through every vein in his body and he gasps, struggling for breath. His eyes slide shut and he thinks he can feel her pulse fluttering wildly where he lies buried inside her.

He's not sure how long they stay like that but when he opens his eyes he twists his head to press a kiss at the puckered pink flesh of the wound on her shoulder. Rolling onto his side he shivers when the cool air comes into contact with his hot, damp skin. Twisting his head he peers through half closed eyes to find Magnus looking at him, blue eyes drooping closed, her prone form limp against the bed beside him.

"Will," she whispers and crooks her finger, her nail gently sliding through the hair above his ear. He opens his mouth to speak but no sound comes out and his eyelids grow heavy as sleep overcomes him.

When he wakes he finds they've shifted slightly on the bed. He's on his front with his neck twisted so that his nose is pressing against the side of her breast, his legs spread out behind him. Magnus is more or less in the same position as she was before but her head is turned away from him and she's half draped with the bedspread.

Feeling slightly cold, he slides his arm across her to tug it up over both of them and spoons up against her. She rolls fully onto her side and holds his arms against her chest, but her eyes don't open and the only sound she makes a slight murmur as her nose twitches. Will lies awake behind her and presses tiny, whispering kisses behind her ear. His body tingles all over and he feels utterly relaxed. It's wonderful, he thinks and squeezes his arms around her more tightly.

Magnus shifts and yawns, breathing in deeply through her nose and smacking her lips. Her eyes open slowly and she twists her head back slightly.

"You alright?" she asks him in a very quiet voice. He smiles lazily and kisses her neck but when he opens his mouth to speak he can't seem form a coherent sentence so he just mumbles her name over and over. She smiles and strokes her hands up and down his arms for a while until she pushes herself upright to a sitting position. Will cups her breasts in his hands and sits up behind her.

"I'm thirsty," she tells him. "And hungry."

He nods mutely and she turns to look at his face, stroking his shoulder and down his bicep before standing up and walking stiffly into the bathroom. Will flops back down onto the bed and rubs his hand over his forehead and nose as she turns the light on and starts to pick through the basket of complimentary soaps. She starts the shower and then walks back into the bedroom, bending to pick up scraps of clothing from the floor.

She stops in front of the window and pushes the curtain aside to look outside. "It's still light," she says. Her voice is flat, distant and it unnerves him. She sits in a chair in the corner and dusts her jeans off before digging into the pocket and pulling out a band for her hair. She raises her arms and begins to tie her hair in a loose knot on her head when he speaks.

"What do you want to do?" he asks, sitting up and rubbing his palm across the back of his head, trying to flatten his unruly hair.

Magnus shrugs non-comittally. "I suppose we ought to get back, the others will be worried."

He nods slowly, pressing his lips together. "What should we tell them?"

She exhales and leans back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling covering her eyes with her forearm.

"I don't know," she says after a time. "This is exactly what I didn't want."

At her tone, Will pushes his tongue into his cheek and turns his head away from her, huffing a loud breath out through his nose. He slides his legs over the edge of the bed and leans his elbows on his thighs, pressing his palms together. "Well, what do you want?" he asks bitterly.

She drops her arm and fixes him with her eyes. "Certainly not to be sneaking off to cheap hotels," she retorts.

"Why do have you make it sound so sordid? You're the one who doesn't want anyone to know! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel, or do you just not care?"

She purses her lips and looks away from his angry stare, her jaw clenching to suppress a sudden tremble. Without meeting his gaze she rises and walks into the bathroom.

When he enters a minute later Magnus looks at him through the water streaked glass for a long moment, blinking slowly before her gaze drops. Will grips the door with one hand and steps inside to join her. Her eyes fall closed as she lets him press her against the cold tiles, her arm curling around his head as he slips inside her. His fingers dig into her hips, his breath hot against her ear as he presses his lips to her skin and she lifts one leg, pressing her palms flat against the wet tile trying to get purchase against the force of his thrusts. He grips her tightly,his arms coming to wrap around her body and his foot squeaks against the wet bath. When he comes with a loud gasp against her neck, she closes her eyes and turns her face into the spray.

Afterwards, in the silence of the bedroom, he feels strangely hollow as he pulls on his jeans while Magnus battles her hair with a small plastic comb she found in the bathroom. She drops it onto the dresser with a huff and pulls her back into a ponytail. Will thinks she still looks beautiful, even with her messy hair and her rumpled clothes, stepping up behind her to meet her eyes in the mirror.

"I'm sorry, " he says softly and her eyes fall shut.

"Me too, Will," she whispers and when he starts to put his arms around her she turns into his embrace and hides her face in his shoulder.

"I thought...when you told me to drive..." he trails off as he peers into her eyes. She drops her chin and he licks his lips before he continues. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asks, but she shakes her head and doesn't meet his gaze. Stepping out of his embrace, she walks to the door and picks up his keys.

"Let's go home, shall we?"


	11. Chapter 11

It's dark when they get back to the Sanctuary and Magnus slips away into her study, closing the door behind her. He can hear the quiet murmur of her voice through the door as she speaks. Will can take a hint although he's not too happy that she's left him to face Henry and Kate's questioning alone. He stands in Henry's lab with his hands in his pockets as he goes over that morning's events until eventually he makes an excuse and slopes off down the hall. .

"Will!" Kate calls but he keeps on walking. "Will!" she calls again, jogging to catch up with him. "Wait a minute," she says, tugging his sleeve.

"Look, Kate, I've got things to do okay," he tells her.

"What was Magnus really doing there?" she asks him in a low voice. He runs his tongue over his teeth, remembering Abby's words.

"I don't know and right now, I don't really care," he replies tiredly.

"Henry hacked the Police files," she tells him gravely, and he feels a chill run through him at the insinuation. They all know what Magnus is capable of but he doesn't want to consider it, he can't. It doesn't help that she's being so evasive and he pushes down a hot feeling in his gut at thought that she went to bed with him just to avoid his questions. He decides to not to mention the bullets missing from her gun.

"Kate, whatever you're trying say, don't." Will answers firmly, clenching his jaw and turning his head away.

Kate purses her lips and nods her head slightly. "Well if it is true," she begins and then pauses for a moment. "I'm not sorry. I just wish I'd done it myself," she says, unable to hide the venom in her voice before she turns away.

Since Magnus clearly doesn't want to speak to him Will checks on their latest arrivals, finding the Big Guy trying to coax one of them to eat a piece of apple without much success.

"How are our guests doing?" Will asks.

"Two died this afternoon," Big Guy responds in a deep, rumbling tone, not looking up from the cage in front of him. Will swallows and lets his eyes run across the metal fronts for a few minutes. He pulls on a white coat and starts to go through the cages on by one, checking against Magnus' notes. He crouches down low to the bottom row and opens a door, reaching his hand in to examine the abnormal curled in the back and when his fingers find a stiff, cold body he lets his head fall forward for a long time.

He's standing over a metal table pulling off his gloves when Magnus enters. She's changed and fixed her hair, back to being the polished, upright doctor as opposed to the wanton, dishevelled creature he remembers from earlier.

"Another one?" she asks him sadly, standing at the edge of the table and looking over the cages. He nods and watches as her eyes fall closed and she bounces her palm on the brushed steel in front of her. They stand in silence for a minute until his phone chirps in his pocket. Sliding his hand into his jeans, he draws it out and looks at the display. His eyes flick up to find Magnus watching him as his thumb slides across the touchscreen.

I need to talk to you. I know it's late.

Will's mouth goes dry and he stares at the screen for a long moment.

"Something wrong Will?" Magnus asks and he looks up into into her wide, blue eyes. He swallows.

"Ah...it's Abby," he tells her. "She says she wants to talk."

"I see," Magnus replies, pursing her lips and looking away. Will can detect a hint of something in her tone he hopes is jealousy. She stands stone still and arches a brow at his look.

"What do you see?" he asks her tersely. Magnus' brows quirk ever so slightly and she turns, walking across the room to a glass fronted cabinet stocked with drugs.

"Nothing," she says to the shelf as she reaches for a vial of antibiotic. Will turns toward her and catches her eyes in the glass as she shuts the cabinet.

"You know, I'm getting pretty tired of this Magnus."

"I don't know what you mean," she tells him coolly as she pulls open a drawer and takes out some sterile needles wrapped in white and green plastic. Will worries a tooth with the end of his tongue, watching her.

"You're going to have to tell me what happened at some point. I'd like to know before I make a fool of myself in front of the FBI."

Magnus exhales a breath and raises her head, her palm coming down flat to grip the package on the counter in front of her. "It's been taken care of Will, I wouldn't worry if I were you."

He snorts. "Taken care of? Do you have any idea how that sounds?" Magnus turns and glares at him.

"I don't need to explain myself," she spits.

"Wow!" Will shakes his head and raises his chin to stare at the ventilation grate in the corner of the ceiling. "And here I thought you had some integrity," he says sarcastically.

"How dare you?" she retorts, taking a step towards him. Will can't help the sneer that appears on his face and Magnus jerks her chin back at his expression.

"Don't goad me, Will. That's childish even for you," she says smugly. Will's mouth drops open.

"Oh," he says shaking his head and looking straight at her. "Nice deflection, Magnus. You're know you're really good at avoiding unpleasant questions."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asks angrily. He crosses his arms over his chest and takes a deep breath in but when he meets her gaze the answer dies in his throat. She raises her brows questioningly.

"I haven't got time for these games,Will," she begins, stepping back to the counter and picking up the unopened syringe. "I've got things I need to be getting on with" she says as she peels back the plastic wrapping.

Will blinks, licking his lips before he takes a deep breath in. "What's that saying about glass houses throwing stones?"

She put the empty syringe down on the counter with a heavy thunk, her head snapping round to look him straight in the eye.

"You used to ask for my opinion," he says after a minute. "But now...now, I feel like I can't do anything right."

Magnus eyes seem to lose focus, her gaze drifting past his shoulder to an unknown spot on the wall behind him. She exhales a breath and slouches against the cabinets. "You used to trust me, Will," she says sadly, shaking her head and cupping one hand inside the other and stroking two fingers across the back of her wrist. He flexes his jaw, chewing his lower lip and steps a little closer. Magnus raises her head and looks into his eyes.

"I do trust you," he says quietly. "But how am I supposed to act when you won't talk to me?" He's not sure if they're talking about what happened at the warehouse or what happened after but he figures they're two sides of the same coin. She acted unprofessionally going after Vladic like that, but whatever really happened doesn't matter because she's Helen Magnus. What applies to everyone else doesn't apply to her, he realises belatedly.

After a moment, she coughs slightly and then takes a deep breath in. She looks straight into his eyes as she speaks. "Will, I don't expect to have to justify everything I do. You can either accept it or..." she trails off. Will blinks slowly, and opens his eyes wide, stunned by her inference. "I don't expect us to agree on everything but," she pauses to exhale. "I need to know that I can count on you. "

"Even it means covering for you?" he asks softly but incredulously.

"Have you lost such respect for me that you could ask even that?" She's looking straight at him and he's transfixed by her wide, wet eyes. She straightens and turns back to the counter. "Well," she continues. "Your silence says more than words ever could." She gathers the syringe and antibiotic solution in her hand.

"Magnus," he says stepping behind her. She doesn't look up, reaching her hand out towards the needles. Will reaches out and puts his hand firmly on top, quelling her movements. "Just stop it."

She huffs out a breath and stares ahead,her hair falling forward to obscure her face. "I don't know what you want me to say Will," she says sounding tired. He squeezes her hand and reaches his fingers up to brush her hair back so that he can see her when there is a noise behind him. Magnus steps guiltily to the side out of the circle of his arms and he turns to see the Big Guy standing in the doorway holding a box of surgical equipment.

"Alright then, Will," Magnus says quickly, fiddling with the needles on the counter in front of her. "I'll see you when you get back."

Will stands mute for a moment, still trying to process what just happened. After a few seconds he turns and clears his throat.

"Okay," he replies meekly before turning to walk out of the door, the Big Guy's stare following him as he brushes past.

Will makes his way to his office, sitting down slowly behind his desk. Drawing out his phone he flags up Abby's number and takes a deep breath in as it rings.

"Will?" she answers breathily.

"Hi," he says, licking his lips and twisting his head around. His hand comes up to rub the back of his neck slowly as he speaks. "I got your message. You're right, we should talk," he tells her.

She's silent for a moment and then murmurs "Okay. Do you want to meet?"

He swallows. "Sure. Um...Should I come to you? Or maybe somewhere else?"

"Umm, it's up to you Will" she answers. He reaches forward and picks up a pencil and pushes it through his fingers against the wood of the table.

"On the riverfront, that place we had coffee that time," he suggests, turning the pencil over and over in his hand.

"Okay." she replies. "I'll see you there in half an hour."

"Half an hour. Okay. I'll see you soon," he says and stares at the display for a long moment after he disconnects.

He pushes up from his seat and steps towards the door to see Kate leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed wearing an expression he can't read.

"Going out?" she asks. He reaches to pull his coat from the stand by the door and nods.

"Yeah," he replies as he approaches the door. Kate nods her head, flexing her jaw and he can see her tongue working against her teeth. He pauses in the doorway and she meets his gaze as he slides his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. "I'll see you later," he says and slides past, making his way down the hall, her eyes following him until he's out of sight.

Abby isn't there when he arrives, so he walks up and down a little way as he waits. The wind is cold and he stuffs his hands deep into his pockets, hunching up his shoulders against the chill as he looks out across the dark water towards the lights of New City. In the distance he can just make out the clanging of a bell on a buoy and leans forward on the iron railing to watch the soft slap of the waves against the stone below.

"Nice spot isn't it?" He turns to see Abby standing a few yards away from him. She's wearing a beige mac cinched tight at the waist, a long fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck. She looks lovely, he thinks, in the half light of the street lamp, strands of her hair escaping from under the collar of her coat.

Will gives her a small smile and a nod. Abby seems to relax a little and chuffs out a little breath. "You know I thought about not coming," she admits softly taking a step closer.

Will shakes his head, glancing out over the water. "Abby, I'm sorry things have been so weird lately. I..." he trails off.

She nods and her eyes dart to the side to avoid his gaze. They stand for a long moment in an awkward silence before she speaks.

"I was going over the reports from the shooting," she begins. Will stands up straighter and sucks his lower lip into his mouth, worrying it between his teeth as she speaks. "There's a whole section missing. When I queried it, I was told to leave it alone." She looks up into his eyes.

"I don't know what you want me say, Abby," he tells her softly. She shakes her head and continues.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Will. Whatever's going on, I can't just..."

Will takes a deep breath in. "I know it's hard for you to understand but you're just going to have to trust me. If there are things that have been excluded from the official report you have to accept that it's for a good reason," he explains.

"Excluded?" she huffs. "Will, you're telling me to just sit back and watch while the course of justice gets perverted! While the case I've worked so hard on is just pulled out from under my feet?" She shakes her head again. "How can you ask me to do that?"

His gaze drops to his shoes. "Abby, please. I...I know how you feel?"

"Do you?" she snaps. He meets her eyes and they stand silently in the cold wind. After a moment he shrugs.

"I don't know what I can do, Abby. I don't know what to tell you." Her gaze falters and she lets her chin fall. She turns away from him, ambling over to sit on one of the wooden benches outside the shuttered front of the coffee shop. Will turns and leans back against the railing for a moment, gripping the cold metal in both hands before he makes his way to join her.

Settling stiffly down beside her, they sit in silence for a few minutes and watch as a ship sidles silently up the river.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant lately," he tells her after a while,rubbing at the join between his index and middle fingers. She let's out a gentle snort, then turns to look at his face.

"What happened Will? I thought things were going so well."

He presses his lips together hard but when he tries to speak, the words get stuck in his throat. "I..." he breathes deeply. "I'm sorry," he says again. Abby turns her face away from him and shoves her hands deep into her pockets. "Where do we go from here?" he asks.

"I don't know, Will,"she replies shaking her head. "I guess...we don't."

Will's hands still and he looks straight ahead, staring at nothing in particular, the lights on the other side of the river appearing smeared by the distance. After a minute Abby stands up and takes a step forward, turning to face him.

"Goodbye Will," she says. He raises his chin to meet her eyes. At that moment he looks nothing like the Will she knows, she thinks. He seems much older somehow, weary.

"Bye," he murmurs. She does an admirable job of pushing down her feelings, but he can't help but notice the way her jaw tenses. She turns and takes a couple of steps away from him and he lets his head fall forward.

"It was from a Glock," she says. Will raises his chin to look at her, his head tilting to the side, questioning. "The bullet they pulled out of Vladic, it was from a Glock. Nine millimetre." She looks him straight in the eye before she purses her lips and walks away.


	12. Chapter 12

He sits for a while, staring out across the dark water until the chill wind becomes too much and he has to move. He walks for a long time along the river until he comes to the old dead bridge. Will shifts his hands around inside his pockets and stares up as it looms above him in stark contrast against the sky, turned orange as the lights from New City across the water reflect against the pollution and the clouds.

A sharp rattle breaks his reverie and he turns to see a homeless man stagger out from his hiding place under the base of the tower, hunching forward in a hacking cough. The man stands and eyes him from under his bushy eyebrows and Will stares back for a long moment until the man shuffles away back into the darkness.

Turning, he starts to make his way back toward the car and curses himself for going so far. He's cold and hungry and just wants to get warm. His fingers curl around the keys in his pocket in anticipation, as though he can make the walk go faster just by willing it. He heaves a huge sigh when he finally gets inside the car and turns the heat up as hot as it will go.

When he pulls into the garage at the Sanctuary, he makes his way straight to the kitchen to get himself something hot to drink and meets the Big Guy coming down the hall with a tray of tea.

"There's some left in the pot," he tells Will, putting the tray down on the counter. Will gives him a weak smile and picks up a mug from the drainer, walking over to stand beside him. As he fills the cup he sees half an uneaten sandwich on a plate beside the pot. "You can have it," the Big Guy chuffs and Will reaches forward to pick out the tomato before stuffing it into his mouth.

He swallows the tea in three or four quick gulps and lets out a gasp of satisfaction as it warms him. Big Guy starts to run water into the sink and Will leaves his mug on the counter beside him.

"Thanks," he says. The Big Guy raises his chin and looks him right in the eye. There's something in that wizened stare that sends a shiver through him and at that moment Will feels like the Big Guy can see right into him, like every part of him is exposed. He blinks rapidly a few times. "Well, good night then."

The Big Guy turns his head back to the sink and reaches to turn off the faucet. "Good night Will," he rumbles.

Will jogs up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, scrunching his hands up to get some feeling back into his fingers. He slows as he passes Magnus study not quite sure what he'll say to her but when he pokes his head round the door she's not there. He braces his hands on the door frame and leans head back to look up and down the corridor.

He finds her a minute later on the window seat, sitting with her legs up on the cushions and a teacup dangling in her hand where it hangs down over the side. She turns her head towards him and he sees a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Hello," she says softly.

"Hi," he replies, stretching his fingers out to run them up and down the frame of the picture on the wall beside him.

"Everything alright?" she asks, twisting the cup around in her fingers. "You were gone a long time." He nods and steps forward slowly, coming to perch on the other end of the seat opposite her, turning his head away from her gaze to look out the window across the water.

"Well as could be expected," he tells her. Magnus falls silent. "I went for a long walk, trying to clear my head."

"I'm sorry about earlier, Will. I didn't need to be so hard," she says after a while. He looks at her profile as she speaks.

"It's okay," he murmurs quietly. "I...I...was angry with you, but I didn't really understand why. I mean...I did but..." he trails off an she turns to meet his eyes. He exhales a long breath and continues. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Magnus smiles a bitter smile, leaning her head back against the wall. "I only have myself to blame I suppose," she says sadly. "I haven't exactly behaved in a manner worthy of your respect."

"You never lost my respect, Magnus," he explains tiredly. She quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Really?"

Will licks his lips. "I know you were angry about what happened, we all were. I just wish you would talk to me instead of running off like that." She nods her head slowly.

"I didn't go there looking for trouble Will," she explains and he shakes his head in disbelief.

"Not looking for trouble? Magnus..."

Magnus lifts her chin and gives him a look. "I've must have known Vladic for twenty years, Will. I would have been fine if..." she stops and quirks her head.

Will's eyebrows go up and with wide eyes he asks "If?"

Her head drops back against the plaster and she breathes out a slow breath. Shaking her head, her eyes seem to flit about, looking at something above his head. "What does it matter anyway?"

Will nods and looks at her face, trying to catch her eyes. "It matters when you feel like you can't tell me things."

"I'm not used to being accountable to someone like that Will. Maybe you're too young to understand but when you get older you tend to get set in your ways. And when you get as old as I am..." Will rolls his eyes and she trails off.

"Please, Magnus would you just stop with already. I get that it's different for you but I'm not a child." She looks hard at his face.

"You have no idea, Will," she says sadly and he remembers Tesla's words. He doesn't know how to respond.

He raises his chin to look her in the eye. "When you said I could either accept the way things are, or not, what exactly did you mean?"

Magnus opens her mouth and closes it again, jerking her head to the side. "I shouldn't have said that," she says slowly raising her chin to meet his eyes. "It wasn't an ultimatum Will." He nods his head and stares at the floor.

"I got to thinking, while I was walking." He pauses and looks up to see her staring at him intently.

"Will, please, I'm sorry I said it," she tells him, her voice exasperated. "I've been taking you for granted lately and I'm sorry for that. I don't want us to be at odds any more." He reaches forward and strokes the back of his hand down her cheek when she reaches up and takes his hand. "That's not what I meant."

Will pulls his hand back and turns his head to look down the corridor. "I see," he says, rubbing his palm across his face. "What did you mean?"

Magnus flexes her jaw. "I meant professionally." He huffs and tips his head back, a grim smile stretching across his face.

"And the other thing?" Magnus blinks rapidly, her gaze falling to the floor and the question hangs between them for what feels like an age.

She turns her back to the window and drops her legs over the edge of the seat, slipping her feet back into her shoes. She grips the edge of the wood and looks down the hall.

"Will..." she begins but trails off, the words getting caught in her throat. He can tell from her tone that he's not going to like what she's about to say. "Will, I crossed a line with you, and I'm sorry."

His eyes fall closed. "Helen," he breathes.

"No, please, let me finish." She swallows and lifts her chin, her posture goes rigid. Stiff upper lip,he thinks. "I don't want you to think I don't care about you, because I do but what happened...it can't go on. I think we both know that."

He shakes his head and clenches his jaw. I don't want it to end, I haven't had enough yet he wants to shout but he can't get the words out. Magnus turns her head to look at him, her big blue eyes sad and wet.

She shakes her head and reaches out to touch his face. "I'm sorry Will," she says and he jerks away from her touch. Magnus lets her hand fall to rest on the cushions beside him. He stares at it, letting his gaze travel up her slender arm and across her body before coming to rest on her face

and her soft, sad stare.

"I can't accept that, I won't..." he murmurs, sliding his hand across her skin and moving closer to cup her face in his hands. He's sure that once he touches her she'll take it back, that if he can just kiss her...

"Will, " she starts to protest, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders as he presses his lips to hers. His fingers coil into her hair and for a second he feels her weaken. One hand moves down her back to press her against him and but she pushes him back, one hand gripping his jaw as she pulls away from him. "Stop," she whispers sadly, shaking her head as she leans to the side out of reach. His hand falls to rest on her leg, the other on the seat behind her and she holds his head in her hands, pressing her forehead against his.

After a moment she coughs and sits upright, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. Her grip tightens and she pushes him back so that he's sitting up straight, her fingernails digging lightly into his skin. "Whatever it is you want, I can't give it to you," she tells him mournfully.

"I love you," he murmurs. "I just want you to let me."

Her shoulders slouch and she loosens her grip on him a little. "There's so much I want for you Will, but this...this isn't right."

She's hurt him more in two weeks than anyone has ever hurt him in his whole life but looking at her he can't help but think she's worth it. "I still want you," he tells her, leaning his face closer and her eyes fall closed. A small smile paints her face and he thinks for a minute she's going to kiss him but instead she strokes her fingers gently across his cheek.

The sound of a door opening and closing echoes down the hall and Magnus twists out of his arms. He turns his head to look down the corridor but sees no one.

"Goodnight, Will," she says as she rises and he sits frozen as he watches her slip away down the hall.

He stays for a long time by the window, staring down the empty corridor after her trying to absorb what passed between them. It's impossible, he thinks. She is impossible. Eventually he makes his way to his room and gets into bed. He tosses and turns for most of the night, alternating between lying in the bed and sitting up staring through the glass at the darkened windows of Magnus rooms opposite. Light is just starting to creep through the blinds when he finally falls asleep and the next thing he knows Kate is shaking him. A cup of coffee drops heavily on the table beside his bed, the liquid spilling out over the rim and leaving a ring on the wood when he eventually sits up to take a drink.

He staggers into the shower and stands with his face in the spray for ten minutes until he hears another bang on his door and Henry's voice drifts through. "Dude!"

"I'm up already!" he shouts back as he steps out of the shower and towels himself off, checking his face in the mirror. He's beyond scruffy and he can't remember the last time he shaved so he reaches for the can of foam and squeezes a large ball into his palm. He changes the blade on his razor and let's the sink fill with warm water as he makes the first stroke across his cheek, letting out a slow breath at the pleasure of it.. Rinsing the blade in the water he raises his hand again and swipes gently across his upper lip.

A few minutes later, he plunges his face into the water and rears up, shaking his head like a dog before reaching for a towel and patting his face dry. He stares at his reflection for a long minute before turning into his his room.

Outside his door he bumps into Kate and they walk together towards Magnus' study where Henry and the Big Guy are already seated. Magnus is facing away from the door, leaning across her desk to retrieve a pen. He can't stop his gaze from running over her backside and down her legs. He always liked that outfit he thinks as he takes a chair.

"Alright then," Magnus says walking over to join them. "Morning everyone." She locks eyes with him and gives him a tentative smile. Will blinks and twists his neck around a few times, returning her gaze but not her smile. Magnus seems to be giving him a long look, no doubt taking in his clean shaven chin and he wonders what she thinks before he pushes the thought away.

When the meeting is done, he takes his time gathering his stuff together and when he stands up he's alone with Magnus. She's leaning against her desk making a poor pretence of checking over her notebook. She flicks her gaze towards him from the corner of her eye and shifts nervously when she realises he's watching her.

"Is there something else, Will?" she asks him softly. His eyelids flutter and his mouth drops open.

"I..." he begins.

"Dude, you coming?" Will turns to see Henry leaning around the door with an impatient expression.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he tells him before looking back to Magnus briefly to find her gazing at her shoes. Will runs his tongue over his teeth and lets out a small breath, turning to follow Henry out of the room.

Together they descend the stairs to the lower levels, intent on clearing out one of the store rooms to be converted into a permanent home for the abnormals they rescued from the fire. It's dank and dusty and Will gratefully accepts a can of soda from Kate, peeling off his t-shirt to lean bare chested against the cool stone wall while he drinks.

"You just going to sit there and watch?" Henry snarks at Kate as she pulls herself up on top of an old metal drum.

"Hey I've got my own shit to deal with Hank, I just thought you might like a drink," she tells him with a jerk of her chin as he takes the can from her.

"Pffff," Henry chuffs dismissively and Kate makes a face behind his back before sloping off, turning sideways to slip past the Big Guy as he appears in the doorway. "You here to help?" Henry demands.

"Sorry," Big Guy says with a smirk and pulls on the hook of the tape measure in his hand, extending it out slightly. Will tips the can in his hand upright and is just swallowing the last of the soda when Magnus enters. He can't help but notice her eyes flick up and down over his bare torso and crushes the empty can loudly in his fist, giving her a hard look. Such a liar, he thinks. She swallows, lets out a small cough and follows the Big Guy across the room to the opposite wall.

He makes a deliberate show of heaving the old crates, bending over in front of her and brushing past at every opportunity. She's the one who says it has to end and if she wants to pretend that she doesn't want him, let her suffer he thinks bitterly. She glares at him through her lashes, puffing through her lips to blow an errant lock of hair out of her face as she takes the end of the tape measure from the Big Guy and walks backwards across the room to hold it against a corner. She's on to him and he gives her a victorious smirk as he takes one end of a long wooden box and follows Henry out of the room.

Will is making his way back along the corridor when he hears her heels clack against the stone floor. She raises her head from the notepad in her hand and meets his gaze through narrowed eyes. The stand facing each other in the hall for some moments before she speaks.

"Can I help you with something, Will?" she asks, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

"I don't know, is there?" he replies, baiting her. She huffs out a breath and shakes her head.

"Stop it, Will," she snaps. He shrugs his shoulders and feigns innocence.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says, crossing his arms over his chest . She takes a deep breath in and clenches her jaw, taking a step forward intent on pushing by him when he shoves her with his shoulder and presses her into the wall. Her hands fly up to his arms and she digs her nails into his bicep hard enough to hurt. Will screws his face up and grabs at her hands.

"Ow, Jesus!" he exclaims pulling her hands off him gruffly but she shoves him and he staggers back.

"What are you doing?" she spits as his hand comes up to rub at the claw marks on his arm. Will raises his eyebrows at her. He knows only an idiot would try the heavy stuff with someone like Helen Magnus, but he couldn't help himself.

"You didn't seem to mind it that much before," he sneers. Magnus' eyes go wide and her mouth drops open.

"Don't be so childish Will," she spits.

"You are unbelievable, you know that," he says angrily and she shakes her head turning her back to him and taking a step forward.

"I don't have time for this." She begins to walk away.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Did you think I was just going to accept it?" he says following her down the hall.

"I'm not going to talk to when you're like this Will." She paces briskly down the corridor and he reaches out to grab her arm, tugging her into an alcove. "Stop it!" Her voice is loud, her hand coiling into a fist and he jerks his chin up defiant.

"When will you talk me?" he demands. "I've tried being gentle, I thought I did what you wanted and now you want to pretend..."

"Will!" she interrupts, her eyes falling shut, he face screwing up. "Please, why can't you just let it go?"

"Because I don't believe you!" His voice is loud, exasperated. "I don't believe you," he repeats, his voice dropping to a whisper, his eyes screwing up with emotion. She takes a shaking breath in and raises her hands to her face.

"Will."

He shakes his head and looks at her sadly. "I'm not giving up," he tells her softly. "I don't believe you and I..." he hesitates. "I'm not giving up." She opens her eyes and looks at his resolute face, shaking her head. She takes a deep breath in and pulls herself straight.

"Don't. Ever. Manhandle me like that again, Will. Do you understand?" He swallows, clenching his jaw. He meets her harsh gaze for a brief moment before dropping his arms to his sides and watching her back as she walks away.


	13. Chapter 13

Will turns back down the corridor to carry on with clearing out the room, his head down as he stares at the stone floor. After a few steps he lifts his chin to see the Big Guy standing at the end of the hall glaring at him. Will pauses momentarily before continuing forward when the Big Guy grumbles.

"Everything alright Will?"

He stops and meets the Big Guy's stare. "Fine," he replies flatly, tensing his jaw and then turns his body sideways to slip past him through the door. A large hairy hand shoots out and grabs his arm, gripping his wrist tight enough to pinch. Will freezes, staring for a second at the hand clutching him before raising his eyes to find the Big Guy fixing him with a hard stare. Will lifts his chin and swallows.

"Come on!" Henry bellows from inside the room. "Quit dicking around out there!" Will tugs his arm and the Big Guy releases him, his eyes glued to the back of Will's head as he walks away.

The afternoon passes and Will's mood seems to go from bad to worse. Kate appears with a tray of tea and informs them that she's going out with Magnus to pick up some supplies. Will snaps at her and her face screws up with hurt before she flees. Henry's eyebrows shoot up and the Big Guy cuffs him around the ear hard enough that Will stands for a moment rubbing the side of his head, scowling as the Big Guy grunts at him.

Later at the dinner table Will stares silently at his plate, pushing his food around with his fork. The tension is palpable as Kate makes a deliberate show of not speaking to him and then proceeds to get progressively more exasperated when Will doesn't even seem to notice. Dropping her fork onto her plate with a loud clang, she lets out a huff of breath. Henry slides his eyes across the table to look at the Big Guy.

"Jesus Will, what the hell is wrong with you?" she exclaims, shaking her head at him. He doesn't raise his head, just keeps sliding his fork around and around through the gravy on his plate. She turns her head to Henry, who has his elbows on the table twisting his napkin in his hands and he chews on his lower lip and looks away.

Kate heaves a sigh and her eyes fall closed. "Did you break with up Abby?" she asks softly. Will exhales a long breath through his nose and puts his fork down tiredly. He smacks his lips and leans back in his chair.

"Oh dude, I'm sorry," Henry says dropping his hands to his lap. Will blinks and he can see the Big Guy giving him an odd look from the corner of his eye.

"I don't really want to talk about this right now," he says gruffly and Kate presses her lips together, nodding.

"I'm sorry," she tells him and he glances in her direction, giving her a weak smile before pushing up from the table.

Later he's walking along the upper corridor, twisting his shoulder around and around to ease out the tension from standing with his arm extended for so long on the firing range. Turning a corner he sees Magnus approaching and they both freeze when their eyes meet but before he can speak, Henry appears behind her holding a tablet.

"So you see, I figured we could solve that...oh, hey Will," he says, stopping next to Magnus. His gaze flicks between them and he gives a toothy grimace for a second before Magnus turns her face to him with a smile.

"You were saying?" she asks him as they continue down the hall. Magnus turns sideways as they pass, her back towards him as he steps aside to give her space to pass. His eyes follow her mournfully down the hall before he carries on towards his room.

He ends up sitting at his desk going through a hefty stack of files that have found their way there during the day and he wonders to himself if it's her way of punishing him for what happened in the corridor that morning. Will opens the top file, determined to get a good hour or two's work done for no other reason than to keep his mind occupied but when he finds himself reading the same line over and over he shoves the papers away and flops back against his chair with a heavy sigh.

Will takes a few deep breathes and feels his resolve grow with each inhalation. Putting his palms down flat on the table, he pushes himself up and turns to the door, heading down the corridor towards Magnus' study. He can hear voices as he approaches and when he steps inside he finds Henry sitting in front of the monitor, Magnus standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders.

"I need a word," he says loudly, pushing away a pang of jealousy at the affection she's so openly showing Henry. Magnus straightens up, bristling at his interruption and Henry turns in his chair to look at him briefly before dropping his eyes at Will's scowl.

"I'm in the middle of something Will, can't it wait?"she asks tersely. He steps forward into the room.

"No. It can't." Magnus drops her hands to her sides and lets out an exasperated sigh. Will tenses his jaw and raises his chin, crossing his arm and glaring at Henry.

"Ah...it's okay, doc. I'll...er...I'll come back," he says nervously, shifting in his seat.

"Stay where you are," Magnus tells him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

Will shakes his head and purses his lips. "If you want to have this conversation in front of Henry that's fine by me, but I'm not leaving," he says fixing her with a stern look.

"Really, it's fine," Henry mumbles and stands quickly, picking up his tablet from the table and twisting it around in his hands as he steps away, his eyes darting between the two of them. Magnus' gaze is fixed angrily at Will who stands stone still inside the door, arms crossed with an equally irritated look on his face. Henry drops his head and hurries towards the door, stepping around Will awkwardly.

Magnus shakes her head. "I can't be doing with this, Will..." she begins as he turns to close the door to give them some privacy.

"It's all about you isn't Magnus?" he snaps turning back to her. "Did it cross your mind for one second to think about me?"

"I'm trying not to think about you," she replies, raising her hand up and gesturing at nothing in particular before retreating behind the safety of her desk. Will closes the distance between them and stands at the side of the table as she pulls out her chair and sits down. She begins to flick through some papers on her desk and Will slams his hand down in the middle of the pile.

"Will you just stop it and talk to me for god's sake!" he almost shouts and she flinches slightly before turning to look up at him with an angry expression.

"I told you before I'm not going to speak to you when you're like this, now if you don't mind..."

"What do I have to do to get your attention?" Will shakes his head in desperation and leans towards her. Magnus eyes fall closed.

"Please Will," she pleads, her face screwing up with emotion.

"Don't give me that," he tells her moving closer and reaching to grab the arm of her chair, turning her to face him. Magnus turns her head away. "Or is it that you'll only talk to me when you need something? Is that it?"

"What does that mean?" She looks at him with wide eyes.

"It means you don't seem to have problem being nice to me when there's something you want" he leers, bending at the waist and leaning his face close to hers. He grips the arms of the chair, trapping her and her teeth clench as she presses her head back against her chair. She puffs a breath out through her nose, flaring her nostrils. He can feel the heat radiating from her and a wave of arousal washes through him as he looks at her beautiful, angry face.

"Oh spare me, Will," she sneers. "You're hardly the seduced virgin. First chance you got you had your hand up my skirt." His mouth falls open and he lets out a shock of breath, her words making him ache in that wonderful, unbearable way. She flexes her jaw, smirking at him and Will grabs her face in his hands determined to wipe the smug look off her face. He presses his lips to hers in an angry kiss and her hands come up to grab at his shirt, the fabric twisting between her fingers as she sucks his bottom lip into her mouth. After a moment she shoves on his chest pushing her chair back, away from him.

"Stop this!" he snaps. "Stop teasing. Are you trying to make me crazy?" He paces up and down in front of her, shoving his hands into his hair. Magnus peers at him through slitted eyes, the tip of her tongue worrying a tooth under her lips.

"Me?" she chuffs, indignant. She stands up and shoves her chair under her desk angrily. "Of course, I'm the villain! Honestly Will, you're behaving like a spoiled child..." The chair collides with the table with a forceful thud.

"Oh my god!" he exclaims shaking his head as she speaks.

"...throwing a tantrum because I won't let you have you way," she continues, stalking away from him towards the other door. Will rushes forward and slides in front of her just as she reaches it, slamming his body against the wood so that it rattles in the frame with a loud bang. Magnus tilts her head at him and crosses her arms fixing him with a look. "Get out of the way, Will."

"No," he says. She raises her chin and purses her lips.

"Get away from the door!" she says more loudly but he sticks out his jaw and shakes his head.

"Not until you hear me out, Magnus" he tells her firmly. Her eyes narrow, her brows cinching together as she takes a step closer and reaches her hand for the door handle. Will slides across the door so that his body is blocking it and her hand collides with his chest. She huffs out a breath and he smirks at her.

"This isn't funny, Will" she scolds and attempts to slide her arm around his body and shove him aside. In response he presses himself more firmly into the corner between the wall and the door frame. Magnus grabs his shoulder with her other hand and pushes from her knees in an attempt to pull him aside enough to free her arm. Will's feet slip, his shoes squeaking against the wood floor and he can't help the amused huff of breath that escapes him. Magnus heels scratch against the floorboards as she tries to brace herself but it's no good because her hand is trapped behind his back and he clutches onto her arms to stop himself from falling over.

Will looks into her eyes and gives her an evil grin. She huffs in irritation and yanks her hand out from behind him roughly, turning her body sideways to pull out of his arms. Will jerks forward slightly at the force of it, still holding onto her and together they collide with the table against the wall. Something clatters behind her and Magnus turns in his arms to see the ornamental plate rolling along the table.

"Oh no!" she exclaims and bends forward over the table to try and catch it. Will topples forward as she yanks her arm away from him and lands on his side with a loud "Oof!" just as Magnus' fingers touch the plate. It comes to a stop with a loud clunk against the top but not before her elbow knocks a cast iron Buddha off the table and it connects heavily with Will's head.

"Will!" he hears her cry out in panic as his vision goes blurry and his head drops against the floor with a thud.

When he opens his eyes he sees Magnus leaning over him with a concerned look. "He's awake!" she says softly, reaching her fingers up to feel his forehead. Pain lances through his head at her touch and he hisses. The Big Guy's hairy countenance comes into view behind Magnus and together they pull him upright.

Ten minutes later and he's sitting on a bed in the infirmary holding an ice pack to his forehead as Magnus click-clacks around in her heels and a white coat. Will's opens his eyes as she approaches and takes his hand, taking the ice pack and placing it on the bed beside him.

"That was quite a knock you took," she tells him, unable to hide the hint of concern in her otherwise irritated tone. "And you're going to have a bump." Her breath tickles his face as she speaks while her fingers prod gently at him and he stares at her mouth level with his eye. She pulls back and gives him a sympathetic look. "You feeling alright?" she asks and he gazes into her big, blue eyes for a long moment unable to speak. "I think you have a concussion," she says and he blinks rapidly a few times, straightening up.

"Ah...no, I think I'm okay. It just hurts a bit," he assures her but she tilts her head to the side and gives him a skeptical look.

"Better do a scan, just to be on the safe side," she tells him softly, and her lips flick up at the corners in a whisper of a smile as he slides off the bed.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" he asks, bringing his hand up to run his fingertips over his forehead. Magnus dips her chin and gives him that look that brooks no argument.

Later he sits on a stool beside her holding the ice pack to his head as they look at the results of CT scan on the monitor before them. Magnus gestures with a pen around the outside of the image. "Looks alright here," she begins and he turns his gaze to her, the rest of her word tuning out as he look at her profile intently. "Will are you listening to me?" she asks, turning to him.

"I...yeah...I just..." he stammers. Magnus purses her lips and tilts her head to one side. "Don't you think this whole situation is kind of funny?" he asks with what he hopes is a meek smile but he's unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

"I suppose it could have been worse," she replies gently with a quirk of her lips. Will drops the ice pack into the table.

"It's my own fault really, I shouldn't have behaved so..." he begins.

"Will," she interrupts. "Let's just forget about it shall we?" He looks at her, holding her gaze for a moment and she blinks, dropping her eyes.

"Helen," he says softly. "I...I'm sorry for acting that way. It was stupid I know I just...I didn't know how else to get your attention. What am I supposed to do when you won't talk to me?" He dips his chin trying to catch her eyes as she turns her face away. "Please."

Magnus lets out a long sigh and turns to the side, her head hanging down as she peels the gloves from her hands. "I don't know what you want me to say," she admits and he reaches forward to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Just be honest with me." Her eyes flick towards him briefly.

"I am Will, but you don't seem to want to hear it," she says tiredly, shaking her head and turning to look him in the eye. He opens his mouth and then closes it again, sucking his lower lip into his mouth as he runs his fingers across her temple. "Please don't," she pleads meekly. He lets his hand fall to his side and exhales.

"I just...don't understand why," he whispers and reaches forward to slip his fingers between hers. "I thought you wanted it, wanted me."

Magnus turn to look at him with sad eyes, her hand reaching over to stroke down his cheek. "I did, I...I do...but Will, you have to believe me when I tell you nothing good can come of this." He stares into her eyes, his face screwing up with emotion.

"How can you say that? You're not even giving me a chance!" His voice is husky and low around the lump in his throat. She turns to face him fully, running her fingers through the hair beside the bump on his head.

"I want you to be happy Will. Lord knows that's difficult enough around here without you having to put up with all my idiosyncrasies and believe me when I tell you, I have many." She smiles at him and he can't help but return it.

"I know," he murmurs as her hand runs down his face to cup his cheek. Will leans forward slightly, his lips oh so close to hers. Her eyes blink slowly and flicker across his face before she pulls back.

"I wanted you to find someone nice," she says sadly. "I'm...I'm sorry that I spoiled things with you and Ab..." Will shushes her by putting a finger over her lips.

"I have found someone nice," he tells her, stroking his fingers over her lips for a moment before leaning in to kiss her gently. Her hands come up to cup his face and she pulls away.

"Very flattering Will, but not exactly the most accurate description wouldn't you say?" Magnus wears a look of vague amusement but he can tell from her expression that she's conflicted. Sensing a moment of weakness he leans in again and presses his lips to hers and she sighs. He slips his tongue into her mouth and winds his fingers into her hair, kissing her deeply. She hums into his kiss and let her arms wrap around his shoulders and his hands roam across her back to press her against him.

"Let's go upstairs," he murmurs into her neck as he kisses across her jaw.

"Will," she sighs but when he takes her hand and leads her towards the door she doesn't protest.


	14. Chapter 14

Will holds Magnus' hand tightly and leads her along the corridor towards the back stairs. It's dark and airless, the narrow space smells strongly of wood polish as Will holds the carved banister in one hand and begins to climb. He doesn't turn to look at her face as he leads her up the narrow, creaking steps, afraid she'll pull away or tell him to stop if he looks her in the eye. The staircase is steep and winding and the rapid ascent makes his head throb. Will puts his free hand out and braces himself dizzily against the wall.

"Oh Will," Magnus utters as he turns to slump against the panel beside him. She reaches up and cups his face in one hand, stroking across the bump on his head with the other. "Your head. You need to slow down..."

Will raises his arms and wraps them around her, pressing his face into her neck and breathing in her scent. "I don't want to sleep alone" he murmurs against her skin, his hot breath tickling her. Magnus sighs and lets her arms slid around his body, stroking slowly up and down his back. Will raises his head slowly and presses his lips to hers. "Please" he whispers, worrying her lips with his own. Magnus sighs and opens her mouth, his tongue slipping inside. Her nails stroke up his neck and across the back of his head as they kiss slowly, tenderly, deeply. The stairwell is quiet but for the sound of their breathing as they remain in a clinch for an interminable time. Will pulls her body hard against him, the of one hand fingers digging into the soft flesh of her ass as the other slips around to cup her breast through her shirt. She moans his name into his mouth.

Pulling back abruptly, Will looks at her flushed face, her eyelids closed and her breath coming out in short pants. He licks his lips and grasps her hand and begins to climb the stairs again, Magnus following behind. They emerge on remote section of the upper level and although he's been here once or twice, they generally stay out of this section of the Sanctuary. It's Magnus' private space and only she and the Big Guy ever really come this way. Most of the Sanctuary is beautifully decorated in her eclectic style, old antique pieces mixed with more contemporary ones but as they walk along the dim corridor he notices the walls are decorated with unusual pictures, rough cubist sketches on yellowed paper. He stops in front of one of a woman's body without a head, soft curves rendered with block shapes.

They stand hand in hand in the dim corridor and Magnus tilts her head, looking at him with soft, sad eyes as he examines the picture closely. "This is you," Will states quietly, turning to her. She nods gently and quirks her lips in a ghost of a smile. "It's amazing." Her eyes drop as he searches her face, his expression quizzical, gently demanding an answer.

"It was drawn by a friend of mine. He died very young," she says softly. Will tips his head at her, questioning. Magnus' eyelids flutter closed and he squeezes her hand. "His name was Henri," she explains mournfully. "He was killed in 1915. He was only twenty three," she says so sadly his heart constricts. He tugs on her hand and pulls her into his arms. Magnus smiles and presses her forehead against his, tilting to one side to avoid the red lump on one side. Will feels strangely nervous suddenly as it dawns on him how much of her he still has to get to know and wonders if he will ever truly know her. He opens his eyes to find her looking at him strangely.

"I've never been in your room," he murmurs and she nods slowly and steps back, still holding his hand. She leads him a few more steps along the hall until they reach her door. She opens it and together they step into the darkened room. Magnus leans forward to turn on a lamp and Will takes a moment to look around. It's a large sitting room decorated with modernist artworks in mismatched frames. There are unusual pieces of sculpture dotted about between old furniture and there a beautifully carved granite fireplace lined with art nouveau tiles. The room is vaguely futuristic in an old fashioned way and Will has no doubt he's staring at a small fortune. He stands inside the door and Magnus looks at him wondering what his keen powers of observation are telling him, oblivious to the fact that even now, although Will can see a lot of things about a lot of people, she's still a total enigma.

Their eyes lock and she smiles at him. He can't help but smile back and watches as she walks across the room to another door on the far wall. She opens it and disappears into the darkness. Will takes a few steps forward and hears the hiss of a match. Peering through the doorway he sees her bent in front of the fire dropping a match onto a flaming log. She rises and turns to him. "Instant firelog," she tells him with a grin and his eyes drop to the green flames flickering around the square block in the hearth. Will smiles and hovers in the doorway. Magnus arches a slender brow at him. "You can come in you know, Will," she chuffs, vaguely amused by his reticence. He's spent the last few days desperately haranguing her to let him in and now he's here he seems a little lost.

Licking his lips, he steps inside nervously. Magnus switches on another lamp and moves closer as his eyes fall on the four poster bed against the wall. Standing beside him, she reaches for his hand. "You should get some rest," she tells him softly and Will turns to her trailing his fingers up her arm.

"Will you lie down with me?" he asks quietly. She nods, smiling at him and leans forward to place a light peck on his lips. She turns away and opens a wardrobe and Will pulls his t-shirt over his head, wincing a little as the collar rubs against his forehead. He steps forward and sits on the edge of the bed, putting his t shirt down beside him, unsure if Magnus will appreciate him throwing his clothes on the floor. He starts to unlace his shoes, watching her back as she steps out of her heels and untucks her blouse from her skirt. She turns to face him as she unbuttons it slowly and he watches intently as her pale skin appears inch by inch. She shrugs it off and drapes it across an ornate chair and Will rises from the bed to push his jeans over his hips. Her eyes rake over his body as he bends down to tug his pants over his feet. He rises and meets her stare, his eyes flickering over her bra as her hands twist on the waist of her skirt, turning it around so she can unfasten the button. She holds it with one hand as she steps out of it and Will stares at her agog.

She stretches out her arm elegantly and drops the skirt onto the chair with her blouse and Will swallows, reaching to pick up his own clothes before stepping towards her. She watches him as he approaches and drops his clothes onto the chair with hers, standing close in front of her utterly naked. He looks her up and down slowly, his eyes sticking to the black ruffled strips of her garter belt as they stretch across her thighs to meet the lacy tops of her stockings. She leans back against a polished mahogany dresser and bends her knee as she reaches for the clasp. Will's gaze flicks up over her shoulder to the mirror behind her and admires the flex of the muscles in her back before dropping back down to her manicured nails. He reaches forward and brushes her hands aside, his fingertips gently trailing over her skin as he unfastens the garter slowly, first one leg and then the other. She reaches up and undoes the belt from her waist and it falls against the dresser with a gentle clack, her buttocks sliding back across the surface as Will bends her knee up, her foot coming to rest against his hip as his fingers slowly peel the sheer black fabric down her leg.

Magnus watches his face as he undresses her, smiling to herself at the intense look of concentration, the furrow on his brow. Her eyes fall to his crotch, sliding over his toned stomach and the V of muscles as her gaze slips lower to where his impressive erection stands proudly between them. Her inner muscles clench at the sight of him, not too long but deliciously thick. The memory of how it felt to have him inside her makes arousal coil in her belly as his fingertips pull the final stocking from her leg and slide gently back up her thigh. Will raises his chin as his hands clasp her hips and leans forward to kiss her insistently. Magnus closes her eyes and kisses him back hungrily, opening her legs wider and wrapping them around his waist as he presses her back against the mirror. Her hands roam over his biceps, up across his shoulders to caress up and down his back. He needs to rest, she tells herself but she can't help the moan that escapes her as his hardness brushes against her pubic hair. Will pulls back and clasping her hands, tugs her to her feet. She tilts her head one side and turns in his arms, stepping back against him as she opens a drawer to find a nightgown. Her ass presses against him and his hands slide around her body over and over until his fingers hook into the elastic of her panties and pull them down over her hips.

Magnus tilts her head back and falls against him as he continues up her body to slip the straps of her bra over her shoulders. She raises her head to look at their reflection in the mirror, his eyes glazed and his expression somewhat deranged as he divests her of her bra and cups her breasts in his palms. She lets out a languid sigh as he caresses her nipples gently, catching them in the spaces between his fingers and twisting his hands around gently. She clutches the silky fabric tightly in one hand and lets her other reach up into his hair as he strokes her, pressing her ass back against his cock. It slides teasingly between her thighs, rubbing over the soft lips of her pussy to bump against her clit. Magnus shudders in his arms, the nightgown dropping silently to the floor beside her and Will turns to look in her eyes with a smirk. On seeing her hooded eyes and sultry expression he tangles his fingers into her hair and kisses her hard.

Magnus hums into his mouth and slides her free hand over his, guiding it down between her legs. Will catches on and immediately begins to rub her clit in slow circles, groaning when he finds her already achingly wet. Magnus begins to moan in earnest, grinding her hips in time with the movement of his fingers over her clit and he presses against her so that she's trapped firmly between his hand and his hips. Together they stagger forward slightly and she releases her grip on his head to brace herself against the dresser. Will takes the opportunity to bend her forward, his fingers still buried in her hair. His eyes run across the smooth expanse of her back stretched out before him as Magnus groans helplessly beneath him, grinding her hips in mad circles against him. "Oh yes Will," she gasps uncontrollably. Will presses his hips against her and his cocks slips and slides across her centre, her wetness causing a hot stab of need to spike through his body.

Will slowly slides the head of his cock from front to back across her pussy and up through the crease of her buttocks, nudging wetly against her puckered anus. He stares transfixed, he wants so badly to take her there but he holds back, sliding back down to her pussy and pressing against her. Magnus arches her back and cries out with a stuttering breath as his thick cock slides quickly and deeply into her. Will gasps and they both press against eachother, holding still for a long moment as the strong muscles of her tight wet pussy clench at him. Will chokes out a sob and his gaze falls onto Magnus face in the mirror before him, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her mouth contorted in a grimace of pleasure. Slowly he pulls out of her and tugs gently on her hair before sliding back deep inside. Magnus presses her fingers against his hand and Will feels like he's trying to pat his head and rub his belly at the same time. He thrusts into her hot body sloppily and his fingers jerk against her roughly. Magnus eyes fly open and their gazes lock in the mirror. Will mumbles her name incoherently and pulls his fingers out of her hair, sliding them down her neck and around her body to pull her upright against him. The change in angle opens her pussy further and they both gasp as he slides deeper into her. Magnus eyes fall shut again and her head lolls against his shoulder as she pants uncontrollably. Slowly, Will resumes stroking her clit with one hand while the other caresses her nipples, tugging them gently.

Magnus is, rather unhelpfully, squirming and writhing in his arms. He's pressed so deeply inside her that every jerk of her hips squeezes him so tightly he think he might come any second. His knees tremble and he's gasping in her ear, chanting her name over and over "Helen, Helen, Helen." Magnus opens her eyes and stares at him, her gaze pleading.

"Oh please Will, please, I'm so close" she babbles. Will gazes into her eyes and takes a deep breath, pressing forward to kiss her firmly on the mouth before gripping her hips and shoving her forward slightly. Magnus releases a cry of surprise as he slips out of her and turns her in his arms to face him. Before she can protest, he pulls her close again and slips his tongue into her mouth, kissing her hungrily. She responds eagerly and wraps her arms tightly around him, allowing him to guide her back against the dresser. One hand slips down to her ass, squeezing firmly and she hitches her leg to wrap it around his waist. Will hoists her up and she clings to him desperately as he turns them around and carries her to the bed.

They collide with the edge of the mattress and tumble against the sheets, a tangle of limbs as she squirms against him with need. Will braces himself on his arms and begins to slide his lips and tongue wetly across her skin, across her neck and down her body. Magnus clutches at his head as he suckles one breast, pressing the flat of his tongue against her nipple and dragging his teeth lightly across the puckered flesh, across her chest. She groans in frustration, her clit tingling with need, her whole body thrumming with desire and anticipation as his lips move gradually down across her stomach. He nuzzles the soft flesh of her inner thigh lovingly and she parts her legs wide. Will stares at the pink lips of her exposed pussy, the scent of her causing him to emit a feral growl as he presses his face against her heat.

Magnus clutches at his shoulder with one hand, the other twisting the bedsheet in her fist as he begins his assault. The tip of his tongue dances teasingly around her clit, flicking up and down before circling the engorged nub and sucking it into his mouth. He scrapes his nails up and down the insides of her thighs as she grinds against him. Moving his hands up he cups her buttocks and she raises her hips as the flat of his tongue strokes across the soft folds down to her ass and back again. She cries out as he penetrates her pussy with his tongue before moving back up to her clit. She lets out a strangled sob as he slides two fingers inside her, twisting his wrist around in a circular motion and flicking her clit with the tip of his tongue and she shudders and shudders and comes, her inner muscles clenching wildly around his hand as a sharp, hot wave of pleasure washes through her body from her centre.

Magnus falls back against the pillow, her body trembling as Will kisses his way up her body, sucking on the skin of her thighs hard enough to leave an angry red ring. He repeats the process across her stomach, up over her breasts and her collarbone. Will pushes himself up on his arms and admires his handiwork, a trail of dark red lovebites marring her pale skin. Magnus opens her eyes and looks up at him lazily, her skin flushed and her expression wild. His cock trails wetly across her body and she opens her legs to cradle him. Will shifts and presses against her, the head of cock slipping easily inside. He grunts, his eyes dark and wide and she gasps as he thrusts into her hard and deep. She clutches at his shoulders, her nails scratching his skin leaving vivid red trails and he hisses, staring down into her wide blue eyes before thrusting into her again. She twitches beneath him, her breasts jerking with the force of his movements and he pumps into her hard and fast and she moans his name.

His whole body is throbbing, his head aches and he feels like he's going to burst into flame at any moment. "Ah...I...Helen..." he chokes out and Magnus can feel how close he is, his whole body going rigid, taut like a violin string above her. She digs her nails into him and shoves him back hard, his cock slipping out of her with a wet smack. Her legs won't cooperate properly but it seems effortless to Will, the way she pushes him upright and slides down in front of him, taking him into her mouth.

Will clutches her head, his fingers tangling in her hair as she slides her lips across his hot, throbbing flesh and takes him deep. He jerks into her mouth uncontrollably and Magnus sucks on him, her cheeks hollowing out as she drags her lips up his length. His hips jerk erratically and he comes hard, his milky white cum spilling across her lips and tongue.

Will feels unbearably dizzy, his head spinning and he lists to the side, collapsing onto the bed gasping for breath. Through slitted eyes he watches as Magnus licks her lips and crawls towards him with a hungry expression painted across her face. He reaches for her, pulling her close against him and clinging to her desperately.

"Helen," he gasps as she holds him tightly and presses her lips to his temple, his eyes falling shut as he slips into unconsciousness.


	15. Chapter 15

When Will wakes he's tucked up in Magnus extremely comfortable bed, the light dimmed by the blinds drawn down over the windows. The sheets are pulled up to his neck and the quilt looks surprisingly unruffled. Helen is standing beside the bed holding a tea tray, looking down at him with a concerned expression. She's fully dressed in a black skirt and a cardigan that hugs her curves and makes her eyes seem impossibly blue.

"You alright?" she asks, setting the tray down beside the bed. Will pushes himself up on his elbows and his head throbs painfully.

"Ah!" he utters, slumping back down against the pillows. He squeezes his eyes shut and reaches up to rub his forehead. "My head is killing me."

Magnus rubs her lips together and picks up a plastic pot of tablets from the tray and pops the cap off before shaking a couple into her hand. "Take these," she says reaching her hand towards him. He rolls onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and takes them from her. Magnus sits on the edge of the bed beside him and picks a glass of water from the tray. He washes the pills down and Magnus watches with an anxious look, smoothing her hands over the bedsheets.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asks, setting the glass down. Magnus licks her lips before she speaks.

"Asleep?" she chuffs. "You've been unconscious for hours. You had me worried," she says with an anxious smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been run over by a bus," he gripes, rolling onto his back and heaving a loud sigh.

"It's my fault," she says apologetically. "I should have just left you to rest instead of..." she trails off and picks at some invisible lint on her skirt.

He chews his lower lip and smiles a little. "It's alright. It was worth it," he reassures her. She swallows and her eyes flick up to his face for a moment. She studies the patterned bedspread intently. "What time is it?"

"Six."

"PM?" he exclaims. "Jesus, I missed the whole day?" She nods and extends her arm elegantly to pour some tea.

"Sugar?" he queries as she drops a couple of cubes into the cup. "I thought that was sacrilege?" She smiles, stirring the tea and passing it to him.

"You're sick," she explains. "Be glad I'm not Russian or it'd be jam."

"Jam in tea?" he asks incredulously, sitting up slowly. She chuckles and turns the pillows behind him so he can sit up more easily. Will smiles at her laugh and gazes at her intently over the rim of the cup as he drinks. Magnus stretches her arm across his legs and places her palm flat on the bed as she meets his eyes. He can't help but notice the appealing way her body curves and let's his gaze run over her as he drains his cup.

"So...I guess I missed the meeting," he says after a while, setting his empty cup back on the tray.

"Hmm mmm."

"What did you tell the others?"

"Just that you had hit your head and were resting," she replies and licks her lips nervously. "I told them to leave you be but..." she drops her eyes.

"But?" Will asks softly, leaning toward her slightly.

"I think Kate might have gone to your room to see you," she finishes, raising her chin. She rubs her lips together.

"Ah," he says with a nod, dropping his chin against his chest. "You think she suspects something?" Magnus turns her head and looks around the room, hitching her shoulder. "Helen," he says softly and reaches for her hand. She pulls it away and sits upright on the bed, facing the door. He shifts forward and wraps his arms around her waist, leaning his chin against her shoulder. "They would have found out eventually, anyway" he says soothingly. Helen whips her head around and he startles at her look. "What?" he asks.

She huffs a little breath out through her nose, her nostrils flaring. "Oh," he sighs and flops back against the pillows. "I forgot. You don't want anyone to know your dirty little secret. Helen Magnus has feelings."

"Will!" she chastises.

"Hel-en!" he retorts snarkily, covering his eyes with his hand and rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. She clenches her jaw and regards him through slitted eyes.

"Don't start this again, Will," she warns.

"Don't start...oh my god!" He drops his hand to his side and sits up abruptly, grimacing slightly as his head spins. "What exactly am I to you?" he barks. She turns her head away and begins to stand up but he reaches forward and pulls her back down. Helen glowers at him.

"Don't pressure me, Will," she says and pulls out of his grasp.

"Pressure you? I just want to know where I stand instead of walking around feeling like I have something to be ashamed of. We haven't done anything wrong, you know."

Magnus' face screws up and she shakes her head sadly, her gaze dropping to the floor. "I'm sorry, Will. It's just...it's complicated."

"I know," he says desperately, cupping her head in his hands and turning her face to him."I know," he repeats and kisses her. Magnus reaches up and puts her hand over his.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Will," she whispers, her eyes falling closed.

"Then stop hurting me," he pleads.

"I can't promise you anything, Will. I just..." she shakes her head, her hair falling across her face. He reaches up a finger and strokes it away and she opens her eyes to look at him sadly. "You don't know what it's like Will, what it means," she utters.

"What? Love?" he questions softly.

"To watch everyone you've ever cared about whither away," she whispers. "To be so utterly alone."

"You're not alone," he assures her but she shakes her head, turning out of his embrace. "Helen," he pleads.

"You need to rest, I should leave," she says, pushing up from the bed. Will reaches out to grasp her hand and she lets their fingers link together.

"Please don't go," he pleads, pushing up onto his knees. She drops his hand and turns to pick up the tray from the beside table. Will stretches and steps out of the bed, the sheet dropping to the floor. Magnus eyes flick briefly over his naked form as he reaches up to clasp her shoulders and turn her towards him. She twists her head from side to side trying to evade his lips as he presses against her but he slides his hand up to tangle his fingers in her hair and pushes her back against the wall.

Magnus gasps and Will slips his tongue inside her mouth as her fingernails scrape over his shoulders and down his back. One hand in her hair, he slips the other around her body and clutches her ass, squeezing firmly as he grinds his hips into her. She wants him, no matter how much she tries to fight him.

Will slides his hand under her skirt and slips his finger under the elastic of her underwear, stroking across her center.

"Will...you should...be resting," she gasps but she hitches a knee, her thighs parting to allow him better access. His mouth curves into a smile and he sucks her lower lip between his teeth. Magnus clutches at him as his finger begins to lazily circle her clit. She lets out a long moan and her hips begin to rock, her wetness makes his fingers warm and slick and he feels himself growing hard against her thigh. The top of her stocking scrapes across the underside of his cock as they move, the persistent nudging of the blunt head against the inside of her thigh driving her mad with desire. She grips his ass in her hands, pressing against him.

"You're so gorgeous," he whispers, pulling her a step back away from the door. "Come back to bed." She mumbles his name against his lips and lets her hand come up to stroke through his hair. They stagger along until he feels the mattress bump the back of his legs. Pulling his hand from between her legs he cups her breasts through the fabric of her cardigan before slowing loosening the buttons. Magnus breaks off the kiss and opens her eyes to look at him. Will has a soft, sleepy look on his face, eyes focused on the task at hand. She drops her gaze to watch his fingers as they work down her chest.

"Will," she mutters in an ineffectual protest, curling her fingers around his forearms as he pushes the fabric aside. He tugs it down her arms and she lets it drop to the floor as her eyes fall closed again. The room is silent but for the sound of their breathing as he peels her top away, her hair falling across her face. Will reaches a finger up to brush the curly, brown locks aside and kisses her again. Magnus moves one hand down between them and begins to lazily stroke him up and down, causing him to hum in pleasure as he unfastens her skirt. She steps out of it and Will pulls them down onto the bed.

They kiss for a long time, Will's hand stroking through her hair, across her back and down to her buttocks. He squeezes them firmly, pressing her hips against his own. Magnus pushes up onto her elbows, breaking their kiss and begins to grind her hips against him. The fabric of her panties rubs against his erect cock and she gasps. He smirks up at her victoriously and she pulls herself upright, regarding him through slitted eyes. Will chuckles and moves his hands around her chest to cup her breasts through her bra. She reaches behind her back and unfastens it, Will pulls the scrap of fabris down her arms to toss it over his head onto the floor.

Immediately his hands are against her skin, his eyes glued to her chest. "You are so beautiful," he sighs and slowly strokes her. "There are so many things I want to do to you." Magnus doesn't reply, just looks down at him hungrily and leans over him so that her nipples brush his face. He hums in delight and immediately begins to suck on the puckered, pink tips, pressing against her back with the palm of his hand. She lets out a gasp that turns into a long moan, gripping the bed sheet beside his head. She continues to grind her hips against him until it's too much and not enough and she aches to feel him inside her. Will seems to have pre-empted her because his hand is sliding under the fabric of her panties to stroke the crease between her buttocks and when she wriggles her hips impatiently he tugs the elastic down over her ass.

Magnus lifts her legs one at a time and stares into his eyes as the fabric slides over her hips. The look she gives him goes straight to his groin in a hot, stab of pleasure and he pulls her head down for a kiss. She rests her forearms either side of his head and pecks him on the lips, nudging his nose with her own and looking at him for a moment before reaching to curl her fingers around his arms. Pinning them to the mattress either side of his head, she trails her nails down the inside of his elbows and across his bicep. Will shudders and stretches his neck up, trying to capture her lips. He strains under her grip and they wrestle for a moment until he forces her upright, sitting up and holding her to him tightly. Magnus huffs at him, squirming in his arms as he holds the back of her head firmly and kisses her hard.

"You always have to be in charge, don't you?" he questions, only half teasing. She stiffens a little in his arms, her eyes narrowing. Will slides his lips across her cheekbone, nibbling oh so gently and presses his nails down her back hard enough to leave red marks across her skin. She gasps, shuddering as he strokes across the swell of her ass and squeezes hard.

"Will," she says in a dark tone, her nails scraping across the back of his neck, her fingers curling around his collarbone. His hand slips lower trailing down the crease of her buttocks to dip into the warm, wetness at her center. Magnus jerks at the contact, pressing her hips forward. He groans, his erection trapped between them where their bodies are joined, slipping between the dark curls of her pubic hair. He pushes a finger inside her, the odd angle causing her to shift her hips back so that his cock nudges her clit and she gasps. She clings to him tightly and he twists his wrist, sliding another finger inside. Magnus begins to rock back and forth, her back arched in a tight curve, her breasts pressed hard against his chest. He watches her face intently as she moves against him, her eyes shut tight and her mouth falling open in a grimace of pleasure. He hums at her in satisfaction and her eyes fly open to find him smirking at her wickedly.

"I've imagined us together so many times, imagined all the things we'd do," he whispers, pressing his lips to her ear.

"Oh god," she groans as his fingers curl inside her, clutching at his shoulders and pressing down against his hand. He lets out a bark of laughter and slides his hand from between her legs, gripping her ass firmly and tipping her onto her side. She lets out a whimper as he leans across her, pressing her shoulders back across the bed and twisting her legs to one side, pushing against her thighs so that her knees are bent at a right angle to one side. She whimpers pathetically and squirms in his arms as he pins her legs down with his knee and leans across to grip her wrists.

"Oh come on now," he leers as she struggles ineffectually against him. She fixes him with a scowl and huffs at him in mock indignance. Will has no doubt that if she really wanted to get away, he'd be flat on his back already and can't help the smile that breaks out across his face. He brushes his nose against hers in and eskimo kiss and holds his mouth to hers. "You like this," he murmurs, brushing his lips over her. Magnus eyes fall shut and she sighs as he twists his head to one side. His tongue slips between her lips and he kisses her deeply for a minute before nuzzling across her cheek and down her neck. She hums in pleasure as he places gentle kisses in the crease of her neck. He hunches over her, his cock brushing against the sensitive skin of her thighs and she moans again.

Magnus lets her head loll back against the sheets as he slowly kisses his way down her body, his hands stroking down her arms and across her face as his lips brush across the side of her breast and stomach. The taught muscles of her belly flutter as sparks of pleasure shoot across her abdomen straight to her clit. She sucks hungrily on his fingertips and groans loudly as his teeth bite gently at the curve of her hip. With his other hand, Will grips her thigh and pushes so that her legs bend up towards her torso, the position exposing her pussy to his scrutiny. He nuzzles against her center and places hot, open mouth kisses across her delicate flesh. Humming, he slides his tongue across her pussy in a slow, wet french kiss and she gasps loudly, her chest heaving.

Will shifts down the bed and cranes his neck, pressing his face between her thighs for a moment before sitting up on his knees,gripping her hips and tugging her forcefully down towards him. He jerks her legs roughly open, shoving her thighs down against the mattress with the palms of his hands. She lies back against the bed, panting heavily, utterly exposed. Will strokes down her legs and digs his fingers into her flesh, gripping her just above the knee and rising up slightly to move over her. His cock drags torturously over the sensitive folds of her aching, wet pussy and Magnus jerks her hips up, the blunt head of his erection nudging her clit before it slips inside.

Unable to resist the urge, he jerks forward and fills her completely in one hard thrust. She cries out her hips surging up to meet him, her head pressing back into the mattress exposing the long column of her neck. Will leans forward and presses his lips against her throat, sucking hard at her skin as he pulls out almost completely before ramming into her again with a feral growl. His hand slides up her thigh and his thumb seeks out her clit, swiping across it in a rough circles as he begins to move inside her purposefully.

Magnus hands fly up to clutch at his shoulders, digging her nails in and he hisses through clenched teeth. "Oh yes, Will," she croons, closing her eyes and humming with pleasure. He pushes up on his arms, rocking his hips up and down, up and down over and over until she's gasping and moaning and writhing frantically beneath him. She strokes up and down his arms, squeezing the firm bulge of his biceps. His eyes fly open when her fingers curl into his hair and tugs hard, a sharp gasp falling from his lips. He wraps one hand around her throat in response and she swallows hard, the muscles in her neck quivering beneath his palm. She falls utterly silent, her eyes slipping closed and he stares down at her face. One finger slides up across her chin to press between her lips and she sucks on the tip as he grinds into her relentlessly. She chokes out a few ragged gasps of breath and he feels her body go taut beneath him,the tension coiling through her limbs. Pulling back slightly, Will finds her clit with his fingers and strokes firmly, deliberately until she jerks beneath him, and comes with a long, loud moan.

Panting, he pulls out of her abruptly and grips the base of his cock firmly, falling heavily onto his arm where it presses into the mattress beside her. He clenches his teeth and heaves a ragged sigh of breath, closing his eyes and taking in huge gulps of air as he comes back from the brink of climax. Magnus opens her eyes and looks up at him drowsily, her hand sliding down between their bodies to stroke him but he pushes her away roughly. She grips his hips.

"Let me," she pleads softly and he opens his eyes to meet her gaze. Shaking his head, he strokes across her body, down her torso and over her stomach to her thighs. Slowly he caresses between her legs, the contact on her over-sensitive flesh causing her to shiver, her eyes narrowing to sleepy slits until his fingers move lower between the crease of her buttocks to brush her anus. Her eyes open wide and he stares back at her, breathing hard, a dark expression painted across his face.


	16. Chapter 16

She lies frozen beneath him, gazing up at his face. Will's eyes flick up and down her body,his hand caressing slowly between her legs. She doesn't speak, instead lets her hand trail up his torso until she cups his face. Brushing her fingertips lightly across his temple and through the scruffy hair behind his ear, she swallows.

"Is that what you want?" she asks quietly. He closes his eyes and heaves a long sigh.

"I want you every way," he confesses, turning his face into her hand and placing a kiss on her palm. Magnus shifts beneath him, cradling him in her hips and he presses against her, slowly lowering himself to lie across her. Their bodies press together and Will reaches for her lips. He kisses her softly and she wraps her arms around him in response, sighing as his erection slides against her sensitive skin. He peppers her face with kisses and she turns her head to the side to give him better access as his lips move across her neck, nuzzling her shoulder. Will shifts to one side and spoons against her back, sucking on her shoulder as his hands caress up and down her body. Magnus strokes up and down his arm and he shifts to slide his free hand under her neck, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She shudders in pleasure as his hot breath tickles her ear in short, ragged pants.

He groans as he buries his face in her hair and she opens her eyes to look at their reflection in the mirror across the room. She watches as he slides his hand across her thigh to crook her knee, bending her leg up so that her ass presses against his hips, opening her to him. She swallows back a moan as his cock brushes between her pert, round cheeks and her eyes slip shut. His fingers dig hard into her hip as he holds her, pressing against her. She exhales and lets her body go limp in his arms as his fingers slide over her ass to part her flesh but when he mutters hoarsely into her ear she freezes.

"My Helen."

Her eyes fly open against the flood of images, memories flashing across her minds eye of another bed, another lover and she jerks in his arms. She grabs his wrist hard, stilling his movements and pushes him away.

"No," she tells him, her voice choked and harsh. Will starts, rolling onto his back and letting out a shock of breath at the sudden change in her demeanour. He reaches forward to stroke down her arm and she shifts, pushing upright and moving away from him across the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asks gently, confused. Magnus purses her lips and turns away so he can't see her face screwing up with emotion. Will pushes up onto his knees and shifts close behind her, reaching up to turn her face towards him and press a kiss against her cheekbone. She twists her head away and pushes his hands off her.

"Don't," she says, her voice hushed and starts to push up on her knees, out of his arms.

"Helen, I'm sorry. I..." he begins, his ardour cooling somewhat at her response. She moves across to the edge of the bed and bends her legs to sit on the edge, reaching down to grab the tangled sheet that lies on the floor. "Wait, Helen," he says, moving close behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. She shrugs out of his touch and stands, wrapping the sheets around her firmly. "I won't do anything you don't want me to," he says apologetically, reaching his arms out towards her.

"I'm sorry, Will," she mumbles, shaking her head as he turns her bodily to face him, rising to his knees so his face is level with hers. Her eyes are downcast and he dips his chin, trying to catch her gaze.

"No, no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you..." he stammers. "Come back to bed," he murmurs leaning close. She closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"I think you should go," she says quickly and pulls away, tripping slightly as the sheet pools around her feet.

"Hey, hey," he exclaims, rising from the bed and following her across the room. He grabs her arms and spins her around to face him. She huffs and jerks her arm roughly out of his grip. "Okay," he says, his face screwing up in confusion. "What just happened."

Magnus swallows and raises her chin to meet his eyes and his sweet, young face. "It's nothing Will," she tells him tersely. "Please, just leave me alone."

"It's not nothing," he replies angrily, shaking his head and reaching for her again. She shoves at his chest as he pulls her close but he holds her tightly, shaking her slightly.

"Damn it, will you just tell me what I did?" he spits angrily. She freezes and glowers at him.

"Let me go," she snaps. He releases her immediately, raising his hands and taking a step away from her. She stands before him, breathing hard as he takes in her appearance. Magnus bites her lower lip, clenching her jaw against the storm of emotion welling up inside her. Will shakes his head slowly.

"Please talk to me," he pleads. "I..." he trails off and looks at her with a sad expression. She tilts her head to one side and takes a breath as though she's about to say something but then closes her mouth and looks away. Will screws his face up, clenching his fists as anger surges through him.

"Fine," he spits, stalking to the chair where his clothes are folded. He grabs his t-shirt and begins to pull it over his head. Magnus stands rooted to the spot, watching him.

"Will," she breathes but he ignores her, reaching for his pants and tugging them angrily up his legs.

"No, I'm leaving," he says as he buttons his fly. "I'm sick of this." He stoops to pull his socks over his toes. He jabs his feet into his sneakers and takes a few steps to the door, hesitating as his hand wraps around the handle. Swallowing he turns back to face her and his breath catches in his throat at the sight of her standing, wrapped in the white bed sheet. Her hair is wildly dishevelled, her eyes wide and wet with a hurt.

"Fine," she retorts acidly and he shakes his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, you let me know when you get over yourself okay," Will says. She twists her head, her face morphing into a sneer.

"Oh, ever the adult Will. Very clever."

Will drops his mouth open. Tipping his head to one side and putting his hands on his hips he huffs. "You want to lecture me about acting like an adult? How old are you?" Magnus jerks her chin back.

"Huh, charming," she replies, tugging the sheet up from under her feet, stepping towards the wardrobe and yanking it open. She pulls out a short black robe that drives Will crazy and let's the sheet drop to the floor.

"You're a spoiled brat you know that, you treat me like a toy" he complains bitterly, looking up and down her naked form as she slips the gown over her arms and ties it tightly about the waist.

"You what?" she spits, incredulous. "You're the one throwing a tantrum."

"How can you stand there and say that to me? One moment you're all over me and the next you're shoving me away and telling me to get lost! I don't understand you!"

"If you're quite done, Will, I'd like to take a bath," she nods, raising her eyebrows and looking at him with wide eyes.

He makes a face and turns abruptly. "Sure. Don't drown in it," he mutters storming through the door and slamming it violently behind him.

Magnus stands and stews for a moment before turning into the bathroom and yanking the faucet forcefully. She stands with arms crossed and glares at herself in the mirror for a moment until regret washes over her. Her shoulders sag and her eyes fall shut as she sighs sadly.

"Bollocks," she tells the tiled walls and turns out of the bathroom.

Will stands on the other side of the door, looking around her sitting room for something to break. He wonders how Magnus would react if he hurled one of her ridiculously priceless sculptures into the fireplace. Breathing hard he starts across the room, intent on leaving but he trips on his shoelaces. Irritated he sits on an antique chaise and starts to loosen the knots only to get progressively more and more angry as they grow tighter under his ministrations. Angrily he yanks his shoe off and hurls it at the grate. It smacks into the wire mesh of the fire guard, knocking it to one side and into the brass rack holding the shovel and poker. It lists to the side and falls against the tiles with a loud clang.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asks in an irritated tone, standing in the now open doorway between the bedroom and the lounge. Will snaps his head up to look at her and swallows.

"Ah..." he begins in a regretful tone. Magnus sighs and blinks slowly. After a moment she steps into the room and makes her way to the fireplace, righting the fire guard and picking up his shoe, she turns it over in her hands. Will regards her cautiously as she approaches, taking it from her gently when she extends it towards him.

"I'm sorry," she says very quietly, rubbing her lips together. His eyes flick up to her face and she meets his gaze with a look of contrition. Hitching a shoulder, she continues. "I...I shouldn't have reacted like that, it wasn't fair." Will nods in agreement but doesn't speak. Magnus hesitates for a second before she continues. "Say you'll forgive me?" she says hopefully.

Will sighs and looks into her eyes. "Of course I forgive you," he tells her sadly and she nods, moving to sit down. His eyes fall to her bare legs as she settles beside him.

"You want to tell me what happened?" She meets his eyes and strokes his cheek gently.

"I..." she breathes deeply, unable to get the words out.

"Please talk to me," he says softly, leaning his head closer to her. She looks at him sadly.

"I...can't, Will. I know you want me to open up to you but I just can't do it. It's not who I am," she tells him mournfully. He stares into her eyes.

"Don't you care about me?"

"Of course I do," Magnus replies, stroking his face. "But I can't give you what you want, Will. I can't be your Helen." Will stares off into the middle distance over her shoulder.

"Is it...is it because...you want to be free to...with other people?" Will says quietly after a while. Helen closes her eyes and sighs tiredly.

"Will," she begins but he interrupts.

"Because...if that's what you want, I can learn to accept it..." he explains, turning to face her fully and grasping her hand.

"No, Will, don't start this..." she pulls her hand away.

"I just want to be with you, I don't care about the others," he says, getting louder.

"Will, stop it! There aren't any others," she cries exasperated. "You're inventing these scenarios in your head. Don't you realise what you're doing?" Will jerks his chin back sharply.

"I don't know anything any more" he chokes in frustration. "One minute you're telling me we can't do this and the next you're pulling me closer..." Magnus turns her head away and purses her lips, irritated at his insinuation but unable to deny it. "I suppose I should be flattered really." Magnus turns back to him with a quizzical look and he stares at her mouth. "That you wanted me at all."

She gives him a sad smile and sighs. "Of course I want you, Will. Why wouldn't I?" She clasps his head in her hands and presses her forehead against his. "You're so sweet and earnest and...young." She smiles but Will pulls back and turns away from her, clenching his jaw. Magnus runs her tongue across her lower lip. "Well you are, Will. To me at least." He raises his chin and looks at the wall between the legs of a bronze sculpture in front of him. "Will?"

"You know Tesla said the same thing," he answers, opening his mouth and pushing his tongue around the backs of his teeth. Magnus rolls her eyes.

"You know better than to listen to Tesla," she snorts but Will turns and gives her a look and the amusement dies in her throat.

"He said I was a passing fancy, one of many and that you'd never love me." Magnus drops her gaze and sucks her lip between her teeth, suddenly very interested in the embroidery on a cushion.

"You shouldn't..." she inhales and exhales loudly. "He'll say anything if he thinks he can turn it to his advantage."

"He's jealous," Will states bitterly. "He wants you for himself."

"I know Will," she sighs and shakes her head, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear but Will strokes his fingers into her hair and does it for her. She grasps his wrist lightly and looks into his eyes. Will is frozen by her gaze, lost in the endless depths of her wide, blue eyes and is reminded that she's not like him, not quite human. "Hmmm, Will," she croons and strokes his cheek. "You're so..."

"What?" he questions softly when she doesn't finish. She blinks at him slowly and the sweetness slowly melts from her gaze, her face morphing into a serious expression.

"I don't want to ruin you," she tells him gravely. "And I will. I already have." He narrows his eyes slightly, confused by her strange, Victorian language but she just stares at his mouth and strokes her fingernails up and down the back of his neck. They sit in silence for a while and she gives him the softest of smiles. He opens his mouth about to speak when she startles suddenly and jumps up from the chaise.

"Bugger!" she exclaims and turns towards the bedroom. "The bath!" Will stands and follows her through the bedroom, standing in the doorway of her en-suite as she slides across the wet tiles to grab at the faucet. The bath is overflowing and water pours over the edge of the tub, soaking into the mat on the floor. "Oh! Bloody Hell!" she grouses and he can't help the smile that breaks out across his face. She turns to him and glares for a second, before her shoulders sag and she let's out a huff of breath in defeat.

He steps onto the wet floor and pulls a towel off the wall. Magnus takes it from him with a nervous grin and drops it to the floor, spreading it out with her feet. Will pulls the rest of the towels from the rail and falls to his knees, spreading the fluffy fabric out to soak up the mess. They work amicably for a while to dry the floor, their hands bumping from time to time. Helen chuffs in light hearted irritation as she swipes the towel back and forth across the tiled floor. Her hair tumbles down around her face and Will resists the urge to reach up and tuck it behind her ears.

When she turns to pull the plug to drain some of the water out of the bath he can't help from staring at her behind. He smirks as water sloshes over the edge and down her front and she mock-scowls at him. The damp fabric of her robe sticks enticingly to her chest and makes her nipples stand out through the black silk. Magnus quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry," he says, sitting back on his feet. "You're kind of gorgeous. As if you didn't know already." Magnus tilts her head to the side, looking at him intently, the corners of her mouth twitching in a slight smile before she rises to her feet and turns to the sink. She begins to squeeze water out of the towel in her hand and so Will stands too and moves closer, stepping beside her to do likewise. He looks up to find her watching him in the mirror.

"I am sorry, Will. For everything," she tells him. He purses his lips and nods, dropping the towel into the basin and wiping his wet hands on the back of his jeans. "You deserve better."

"Better than you?" he asks with a quizzical smile. She lets out a chuff of amusement.

"I'm no good for you," she replies sadly, staring at his lips.

"I disagree," he says, reaching for her hand. Magnus curls her fingers in his and squeezes.

"Oh you are so stubborn, William," she sighs, dropping her head back. He turns and leans closer, slipping his arms around her waist and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I love you that's all," he utters against her collarbone. "How can you just throw it back in my face like you do?" Magnus screws her eyes up tight, and grips his shoulders.

"I think," she hesitates and takes a breath for she continues. "I think you love the idea of me more than the reality." He raises his head and looks into her eyes, his brow furrowed in hurt and confusion, shaking his head. She gazes back intently and when he opens his mouth to speak she shushes him with a finger to his lips. "You know I'm right."

Will pulls back and looks away, leaning his palm on the tiles beside the basin and focussing on an indistinct spot under the water in the bath. "It hurts, you know."

"I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this," she says in a hushed, whimpering tone trailing her fingertips down his arm. He pulls away from her touch and moves out of reach, still not looking at her. He swallows.

"I should go," he says in a firm voice that belies the crushing despair he feels inside. Magnus drops her arm to her side and nods, pressing her lips together firmly. Will stares at the floor for a second and then turns out of the room, walking briskly out the door without looking back.


	17. Chapter 17

Will makes his way down the hallway towards to his room, his head pounding furiously. He stops by the window seat and stares out at the view for a few minutes before he hears the shuffle of feet down the corridor. He turns his head to see the Big Guy sauntering towards him. He raises his chin and twists his lips in an anxious half smile.

"Will," he grumbles. "How's the head?"

"Better. Thanks," he replies and they stand, staring at each other. Will can't help but notice the way the Big Guy flares his nostrils and it occurs to him that he must reek of sex. He licks his lips nervously, wiping his palms against the back of his shirt. "Did you finish the new enclosure?" he enquires in a polite tone.

"Huh, we did," Big Guy answers, glaring at him. Will forces a smile and nods, swallowing and pressing his lower lip with his tongue.

"Well, I better go. Things to get on with," Will utters, stepping to the side and past the Big Guy. He bares his teeth and Will isn't sure if it's a grin or a snarl and hurries off towards his room.

Inside he stands by the door and looks at the bed, the sheets untouched. He toes his shoes off and kicks them under the dresser by the door, his eyes sliding across the polished wood. He closes his eyes, memories swimming across his mind and swallows hard. Slowly he steps into the room and begins to peel his shirt off. His limbs feel heavy and his neck is tense as he steps into the shower. He turns it up hot and heaves a long breath, pressing his face against the tile as the water slakes down his back and stands like that for a long time.

Afterward his stomach growls reminding him that he hasn't eaten for over a day and so he makes his way to the kitchen in search of food. He stops in the doorway and sees Henry sitting at the end of the table hunched in front of his laptop, Kate is perched beside him, swinging her legs back and forth and picking turkey out of a sandwich.

"Dude, hey, how you feeling?" Henry says cheerfully and he nods in response. Kate smiles at him but she has a strange look in her eyes.

"Yeah, okay thanks. Did I miss anything?" he asks, stepping into the room.

"Only the most boring meeting in the history of the Sanctuary network," Henry replies, raising his eyebrows and tipping his head to one side. At that moment, his phone buzzes loudly against the wooden table top. "I gotta take this," he says, picking up his phone and stepping out of the room. Will turns his head and follows him with his eyes and when he turns back, Kate is looking at him with an expectant look on her face. Will smiles awkwardly and turns to the fridge.

"So," she begins. "Feeling better?"

"Hmm mmm," Will replies pulling a dish of something out of the fridge and lifting the foil to sniff at it.

"Must have been quite a knock," she continues tipping a can of soda to her lips. Will pulls a fork from the drainer and moves to the table.

"Ah, yeah," he says a little hesitantly. Kate is silent, watching him as he starts to dig around in the dish.

"I came to see you," she explains. "But you weren't in your room." Will takes a bite and meets her eyes, chewing thoughtfully before he speaks.

"I went for a walk," he lies. Kate raises a brow.

"Right," she nods. Will looks at her for a long moment but doesn't explain any further. "So you're back and rested and ready to go?" Kate asks, setting her can down.

"Yup," Will says with a smile. She purses her lips and nods slowly.

"Cool," she says, projecting an air of indifference but Will can see the unasked questions on her face. She rises from the table and dumps her soda can in the trash. "I'll see you then."

"Sure," he answers and she flexes her jaw before walking out.

Will stares at the empty doorway after she's gone until Henry strolls back in. He turns to look behind him and then back to Will.

"You okay?" he asks. Will looks at his food.

"Sure. Now tell me what's happening," he replies and Henry walks over, pulling a chair out and turning his laptop around to show Will the schematic on the screen as he begins to talk.

Later, he goes to check out the new enclosure and finds Kate and Magnus standing in front of a cage, cooing over one of the abnormals. Kate is feeding it a piece of fruit while Magnus caps a syringe and turns to drop it onto a tray behind her. She looks up to see Will in the doorway.

"Hi," he says stepping inside. She smiles tentatively and he moves closer. Kate looks over her shoulder, her gaze flicking between the pair of them. Her tongue pokes out to swipe across her upper lip and she swallows, turning back to the creature before her. "What's going on?" he asks running his hand along the side of the tray.

"Just giving some antibiotic shots," Helen says softly, dropping her eyes and pulling the latex gloves from her hands with a soft snap. Will nods and stuffs his hands into his back pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet. Magnus looks at him for a second before turning away and moving across the room so he slides closer to Kate while she strokes the soft, brown fuzz on the creature's neck. She smiles at him as he stands beside her as the creature croons quietly under her ministrations.

"Did we lose any more?" he asks, reaching up to brush his finger over the animal's nose. Kate shakes her head.

"Nope," she says happily. "Little guys seem to be doing much better. We were just gonna put this one into the main enclosure with the others. You wanna help?" He smiles at her enthusiasm, nodding and Kate shuts the cage with a click. Together they carry it across the room and lean it against the ledge outside the glass front. Will unlatches the bolt and slides the wood framed glass to the side and Kate leans across the cage, the metal edge digging into her thighs as she reaches to unlatch the front. Will presses his lips together and turns his head to look at Magnus. She's leaning back against a table, her fingers gripping the top of a clipboard as it rests against her legs. She meets his gaze and her eyelids flicker. He twitches his lips in a nervous smile which she returns for a second before dropping her eyes to the floor when Kate speaks.

"There you go, little guy," she coos as the abnormal slopes tentatively out of the cage into the enclosure, treading carefully and sniffing the air. Will turns back to watch and when Kate pulls back he gives her a wide, genuine smile. She swallows and sniffs a bit as she steps back and carries the cage to the table, placing it down beside Magnus. Will slides the glass back into place and fastens it, standing to watch the creature getting used to it's new home. When he turns Kate is standing beside Magnus with her hands in her back pockets, shifting from one foot to the other. She presses her tongue into her cheek and when he meets her gaze, her eyes dart away.

"What?" he chuffs curiously. Magnus starts to scribble furiously on the clipboard and Kate rubs her arms anxiously. He moves to stand between them, his eyes falling to Magnus hands as she writes. Her eyes flick up to Will and back down again. Kate smacks her lips and sucks the inside of her cheek.

"I'm gonna go..." she says after a moment, one hand in her pocket and the other gesturing towards the door. Helen smiles at her.

"Alright Kate. Thanks for the help." Kate glances at Will for a second before she turns away and walks out the door. Will stares after her for a long minute before he turns to Magnus.

"Okay?" he asks quietly. She raises her chin to look at him.

"Hmm mmm," she says. "How are you?" Will worries his lower lip in his teeth, nodding.

"I'm okay."

"Good," Magnus replies, capping her pen and dropping it onto the table. She raises her head and eyes the red mark on the side of his head. "Doesn't look so bad," she tells him, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Will drops his chin slightly and rubs his fingers over the tender spot.

"Ha, yeah.," he chuffs "I think I slept too long though. I feel kind of strange." He glances up and looks into her eyes, meeting her soft gaze. She clenches her jaw and nods imperceptibly, her hair shaking loose around her face.

"That can happen. With a head injury." She raises her hand and touches her fingertip to the bump, and he lets his eyes fall closed, turning his head into her palm. "Will," she chastises softly, pulling her hand away. "You can't take everything I do as an overture."

"Sorry," he utters, his voice barely a whisper. They stand in an awkward silence until Magnus turns away abruptly to wash her hands in a small steel basin against the wall. The sound of water rushing out of the faucet is loud, her soapy hands slapping together as she scrubs at her fingers. Will stares at her back and swallows hard around the lump in his throat.

"Um, so, Henry and the Big Guy are ordering in. Are you joining us?" he asks, rubbing along the edge of the table and running his eyes across the various dishes and bottles that are strewn across the surface. She turns from the sink, shaking the water from her hands and looking about for a towel.

"Hmmm," she utters in assent. "There's something I need to take care of first but as soon as I'm done, I'll be up." She quirks her lips and looks at him with wide eyes. Will regards her for a moment, his gaze flicking up and down her body. I can do this, he thinks but he can't help the twinge in his gut when he realises he'll never be able to touch her again, to kiss her.

You're so beautiful it hurts to look at you, he thinks, his eyelids sliding slowly shut. Magnus looks at the ceiling and bites hard on her lower lip.

Please Will, she seems to say with her eyes. He screws his face up, clenching his jaw hard and blinking hard. He coughs.

"Okay," he tells her. "I'll see you at dinner." Magnus smilles at him tightly and nods before he turns on his heel and walks away.

Later when the food arrives, Will joins the others in Magnus' study and makes an effort to be upbeat as they sit amid a sea of cartons and he watches as Kate and Henry argue over the steaming boxes. They eat till they feel sick, lounging around on the floor and the couch enjoying each other's company. He shifts to one side as the Big Guy kneels forward to see to the fire and Will digs his fingers into the fluffy carpet, staring at it for a long minute as he gets lost in a memory until Henry shoves a box of food under his nose again. He sets aside a couple of the cartons, careful to leave something for Magnus but the evening passes and the fire burns out and she never comes.

He helps the Big Guy carry the empty boxes out while Henry and Kate straighten up, volunteering to help with the middle of the night feedings since he's spent most of the day asleep anyway. He needs to stay busy somehow and it's a more appealing prospect than sitting alone in his office all night going through the files on his desk.

He ends up there anyway, shifting in his seat to get some feeling into his backside and swallowing the last of a cold cup of coffee at four in the morning. He sits back in his chair and grips his pen between the fingers of both hands, turning it over and over and pursing his lips as he thinks. His reverie is interrupted by the sound of footsteps down the hall and the shuffle of fabric. He glances up and a light comes on down the hall so he pushes out of his seat and ambles down the corridor. He ends up at the doorway of Magnus' study and peers inside to see her clicking rapidly at the mouse on her computer, bent at the waist with one palm flat against the table as she scrolls down the screen. She's dressed in heavy boots and a mid length brown leather coat, a black travelling bag on the floor beside the couch.

"Going somewhere?" he asks and Magnus stands bolt upright, her head snapping around with a wide eyed expression.

"Dear God, Will," she breathes, blinking slowly and pressing her hand to her heart. "You frightened the life out of me." Will scowls a little and steps into the room.

"Surprising Helen Magnus, quite an achievement," he tells her in a neutral tone, narrowing his eyes at her a little. "What's going on?"

She chews on her lower lip and looks at the bag between them for a second before raising her head slowly to meet his questioning gaze. "I..ah..." she begins hesitantly. "I'm going to Amman," she explains. "There's a dig site in the desert and they've unearthed some rather interesting remains, tablets and such." Will grimaces and nods.

"So, what, you were just going to run off in the dark of night and not tell anyone?"

She draws her chin back with a look of consternation. "I was just leaving you a note actually."

"Oh, a note," he chuffs sarcastically. Magnus crosses her arms over her chest.

"This isn't the nineteenth century Will, I don't have to ask your permission," she retorts with a scowl. Will laughs bitterly.

"Is this your way of dealing with things Helen? Run away so you don't have to face me, is that it?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous Will," she snaps angrily. "Archaeology happens to be a hobby of mine. Must you make everything about you?" His mouth drops open as Magnus stomps heavily across her room to rifle through the drawers in her desk. She glances up at him and catches the look on his face. She heaves a heavy sigh and her shoulders sag as she slides a drawer shut. Stepping towards him, she picks up the bag. "I'm sorry Will."

He sticks his lip out and looks away with a shake of his head. "You seem to be saying that a lot." He looks at her when she doesn't disagree and finds her gazing at him with a sad expression.

"I know, I..." she blinks and drops her gaze. "I don't know what to do about you William," she confesses softly, staring at his mouth and Will feels that familiar tension rising between them. She swallows loudly and continues to stare, her gaze unfocussed as she speaks. "I'm trying very hard to understand this thing between us." The sound of their breathing in the quiet room seems very loud to Will as his eyes roam her body. He doesn't want her to go, doesn't want her to run away from him. He wants her to stay but he knows that one look, one touch and they'll be right back to where they started.

"There is no us, remember?" Will tells her darkly and her gaze snaps up to his face, her eyes wide and blue in the dim light. She's the one that did this, he reminds himself. She's the one that used him and cast him off because loving him would be inconvenient and he can't feel sorry when he sees the hurt on her face. She looks at him intently for a moment before tightening her grip on the bag in her hand and walking away.


	18. Chapter 18

The first few days of her absence are hideous as Will swings between the agony of wanting her and the spiteful pleasure of his anger but after a while the feeling fades and he starts to relax. He lets Kate and Henry cajole him into skipping work and having some fun. He takes the time to work on some things he's been keeping on hold, he jogs, he cleans his room. He goes out for bagels on the fourth morning when it occurs to him he hasn't done it in a really, really long time. He books his attendance at a psychiatry conference in Copenhagen and peruses hotels on the internet and a week goes by before he realises he's stopped missing her quite so much.

He's standing in front of a filing cabinet in his office one afternoon, flicking through the B's in the drawer when he glances out of the window and sees a long, black Mercedes pulling through the gates. He watches it slowly pull across the courtyard and stop outside the door. Will stays in his office for as long as he can but eventually the compulsion is too strong and he makes his way along the hall to the excited murmur of voices in the lobby.

He stops at the top of the stairs and grips the banister tightly as he takes in the scene. Big Guy and Henry are waddling in and out of the door carrying boxes, no doubt full of finds from the dig. Magnus is standing talking to Kate, pulling her gloves off slowly before slapping them into her palm and dropping her hand to her side. He takes in a deep breath when she glances up the stairs toward him, her face kissed by the sun. An uncertain smile spread across her face and it seems like she's glowing, her eyes that amazing shade of blue in the shaded hall. He smiles slightly in return and trots down the stairs to greet her, stepping across the tiles with slow unhurried steps.

“Magnus,” he says quietly, politely.

“Hello, Will,” she replies and gives him a little smile, a flash of perfect white teeth, her nose wrinkling adorably. She's happy to see him, he can tell but there's something a little off. She's tense. Will flicks his gaze up and down her, trying to figure it out when a shadow slides across the stone floor towards them and a familiar, unwelcome voice fills his ears. His face falls and he slowly turns his head to see the smirking visage of Nikola Tesla.

“William,” he says cheerfully, tilting his head to the side. “Oh isn't this nice!? Quite the welcoming committee,” he chirps turning to Helen and giving her a broad smile. Will balls his hands into fists by his side and clenches his jaw and Tesla's grin seems to grow even wider at his scowl. Kate folds her arms and looks to the side, worrying her lip.

“Hank!” she exclaims cheerfully as Henry steps through the door, lifting one knee to shove the bottom of the box in his arms. “Let me help you,” she offers a little too enthusiastically and Henry's brows shoot up as she grips the box tightly and shoves him backwards down the hall.

Will turns his head back to Magnus to find her giving him a sheepish look. She opens her mouth to speak, dropping her gaze to her feet for a moment.

“Will, I...” she begins but falls silent, her chest rising and falling heavily as Tesla takes a step closer.

“It's soo lovely to be back,” Tesla croons and Will meets his eyes with a look of pure hate before snapping his head away to stare down the hall.

“Nikola!” Magnus growls and he purses his lips at her, his eyes going wide. Will presses his tongue against his back teeth hard enough to hurt.

“I'm just being friendly, Helen” he tells her and she glowers at him in response. “Very well,” he answers in an irritated tone. “I had better go and make sure the hairy one isn't one isn't being heavy handed.” Will grinds his teeth and turns to glare at the vampire. “These old artefacts need such careful handling.”

Magnus' eyes go wide and Tesla jerks his chin at her a little, twisting a button on his shirt between his thumb and forefinger before sauntering away down the hall. Will starts towards the stairs briskly.

“Will!” she calls after him, her voice pleading. He stops and takes a few heavy breaths through his nose before turning slowly.

“Welcome back,” he sneers, tilting his chin and shrugging his shoulders and before she can respond he's up the stairs and out of sight.

 

Will slams the door of his office and doesn't come out for the rest of the day. The next afternoon Kate pops her head meekly through the door only to be greeted with an unfriendly snarl. On the third evening, Will is sitting in the chair behind his desk with his back to the door bouncing a baseball heavily off the wall behind him. He doesn't turn around when he hears the door open.

“Yeah leave it on the chair, Henry,” he utters idly.

“How long is this going to go on for, Will?” He starts in his chair and misses the baseball as it rebounds. It smacks heavily into his desk, knocking over the remnants of a cup of coffee and dragging his pen pot over the edge to clatter loudly onto the floor. Will swivels suddenly in the chair and stands up, the back smacking loudly into the shelf behind him.

Magnus stands just inside the room with her arms crossed and her eyes watch the baseball roll across the carpet towards her. She raises her toe and catches it under her foot, stooping down to pick it up and tossing it lightly in the air before catching it again, her tongue running across her teeth under her lips in a pout. Will swallows and meets her stern gaze and they stand in silence for a moment before she steps forward and closes the door behind her.

“You're being childish Will,” she tells him, setting the ball down beside her as she moves closer. “Hiding away like this, it's not helping anyone.”

Will looks away, his jaw clenching. “And I suppose bringing him here, that helps? When you knew, YOU KNEW how it would make me feel?” He glares at her hotly but she stands passively meeting his stare with glittering eyes. He exhales loudly through his nose.

“Yes, I knew,” she says, not coldly but not apologetic either. “What was I supposed to say to him? Thanks for the lovely artefacts Nikola but if you don't mind, Will won't like it if you come back with me, he' a little jealous see.” Will's mouth falls open and he crosses his arms, twisting his head away in irritation.

“Why did you even have to go? Was the thought of being here with me so repellent that you had to go seven thousand miles away just to get away from me?” His tone is hurt and Helen's shoulders sag, her arms falling to her sides.

“Oh Will, of course not! But what was I supposed to do? I've been looking for this site since the mid eighteen eighties! I HAD to go!” Will stares at her feet.

“You didn't have to sneak away like that. If I hadn't found you in your office that morning, you never would have even said goodbye!” Magnus closes her eyes, a pained expression on her face.

“I...I....knew you'd think I was running away from you,” she explained breathlessly. “I don't know, maybe I was.” Tears prick at his eyes at her tone but he blinks them away, breathing steadily until the feeling passes and after a minute, Magnus sinks down into one of the chairs across from him. “This is such a bloody mess,” she confesses tiredly and Will softens, moving to sit in the chair beside her and slouching back in the seat, his head tipping back to stare at the light fitting above his head.

“Are you ashamed of me? Is that it?” he asks the ceiling and at her soft sigh, raises his head to see her shaking her head and looking at his shoes.

“Never Will, how could you ask me that?” He sits forward leaning his elbows on his knees.

“But you don't want to be with me. You don't want anyone to know and I don't understand it when I know that you want me. Didn't you want me?” She meets his eyes and he feels himself getting lost in the depths of her gaze, her eyes smoky and wide.

“You know I did,” Magnus tells him in a low, quiet voice. “But you know, as well as I do, how utterly impossible it is. You said yourself, there is no us and yet here you are! Hiding away in a jealous sulk!” He steeples his fingers and rubs his nose along the crease between his hands, sniffing a little and twitching his nose.

“I...I...can't help it,” he tells her gravely and she watches him intently, her eyes following the movements of his mouth as he speaks. She shakes her head slowly.

“You can't hold me hostage like this Will. I'll never be what you want me to be and stewing in a jealous rage isn't going to change that.”

“I just want you to be you!” he exclaims. “How could you ever think I wanted anything else?”

She closes her eyes, her expression anguished and grips the armrest. “Will,” she says, pausing to swallow before she continues but when she tries to speak she stammers, unable to get the words out. Will seizes on her moment of vulnerability and moves to kneel on the carpet in front of her, clutching gently at her arms. The wool of her cardigan is unbearably soft under his hands and he wants to wrap his arms around her and bury himself in her warm embrace.

“Hey,” he breathes, smiling at her softly. “Hey.” He dips his chin and chases her eyes with his smile until she chuffs out a soft breath and smiles back at him.

“Oh, Will, my handsome young protégé,” she says gently, stroking the side of his face. Will can't help but grin back at her, flicker of hope taking hold within him.

“Careful,” he chides playfully. “The other heads of house will think you only wanted me for my body.” She chuckles at his expression.

“That's what they will think Will, if they don't already.” Her response rather dampens his amusement and he chews his lip.

“I'm not sure that I care.” She regards him seriously.

“I do,” Magnus tells him and he draws back a little. “Not that I'm ashamed of you, never that. I just....always wanted you to be your own man. I don't want you to feel beholden to me or to feel like my accessory.” He nods slowly. “And I can't be hostage to your jealousy Will. I won't.” She holds his gaze for a long time and Will feels like he's a fly trapped in a web and wonders if he'll ever get out of it. “Don't think there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you Will,” she tells him finally and he nods, dropping his gaze to stare blankly at the floor as she rises from the chair and slowly walks to the door. “Now, will you come out and start being the Will I know or are you going to stay in here forever?” Will looks at her.

“I ah....I'll um....I'll try to do better, okay?” It's the best he can do in the circumstances and for the moment, it seems to be enough for her. Magnus smiles at him gently, sadly and walks out the door.

 

A couple of hours later and Will summons up all his courage and descends the stairs to the Library, pushing open the huge creaking doors and looking inside to see Magnus standing over the table peering through a magnifying glass as she holds a piece of stone under a light.

“Hello Will,” she says pleasantly enough, glancing up at him for a second with a quirk of her lips and a soft flutter of her lashes before looking back to the object in her hands. He smiles.

“Hi,” he says, tucking his hands in his pockets and ambling closer. “So this is it huh? Your long lost treasure?” Magnus straightens up and emits a gentle chuckle, a look of glee on her face.

“Indeed, it's really quite exciting,” she tells him contentedly with a little shake of her head and Will huffs out a breath, a genuine feeling of pleasure rising up within him at her demeanour.

“What is it exactly,” he asks and for a moment she thinks she might have seen a glimpse of the old Will. She rubs her lips together and coughs, looking at the table and gesturing with the magnifying glass.

“These,” she begins in a tone that conveys her utter delight, “are from Petra.”

“Petra” he says is a gentle, condescending tone as he walks around the table to stand beside her. “I think I've heard of that.”

“Oh it's a very ancient city Will,” she tells him, a lock of hair escaping her braid and curling adorably across her face to stick to her lip. She puffs it out of the way and continues. “We've actually recovered very little of the pre-hellenistic kingdom, well I mean, there is some architectural evidence remaining but hardly anything by way of written culture.” Magnus is animated and her enthusiasm is infectious, magnetic. “And this,” she says definitively waving a piecing of stone tablet “is from the Wadi, the Monastery. Well, it's not really a monastery it's actually a tomb and THIS is actually a piece of carbonised papyrus. Isn't it amazing? This thing has been in the ground so long it's actually starting to fossilize!”

“That's...yeah, that's really amazing,” he said with a nod, plucking the stone from her fingers to look at it closely.

“Careful now,” she stutters, watching him like a hawk and he gives her a look and makes a face. Magnus huffs and steps back a little. “Sorry.”

Will turns the papyrus over in his hands. “Hey, yeah, you can see the inscription,” he says with a smile. “What does it say?”

“I've absolutely no idea,” Magnus says with a chuckle and he turns to look at the gleeful expression on her face and laughs with her. He hands it back to her with a gentle look.

“It's fascinating, really,” he assures her and casts his eye across the table, his gaze falling on the two glasses and the empty bottle beside them. “You know I think ah...I think I'll leave you to it, I'm going to...get some shut eye.”

Magnus looks at him with a glint of understanding in her eye. “Alright.”

“It's ah....you're right. I'm glad you went. Really.”

“Thanks Will,” she says with a soft smile and he smiles back for a moment before turning and sloping towards the hall.

“Goodnight,” he says with a timid nod of his head.

“Goodnight,” she tells him and watches him disappear around the door.

 

 

Will hesitates outside for a second before stepping forward and starting down the corridor. He raises his head to see Tesla leaning nonchalantly against a tall stand, peering into the eyes of an old bust, a bottle of wine in one hand. Will meets his eyes and Tesla makes a face although Will isn't sure if it's a grimace or a smile. Whatever it is, it's decidedly lacking in the usual venom he associates with the vampire although Tesla rarely lacks an aura of smug satisfaction and tonight is no different.

“William,” he says in a tone that belies the urge to gloat that Will can see simmering beneath the cool facade.

“Tesla,” Will replied equally passive. They stare at each other for a moment before Tesla coughs and straightens up.

“No joining us then William?” he asks and Will purses his lips, shaking his head.

“No.”

“Shame. Although I suppose on consideration, it's best to leave these sort of things to someone with a.....more appropriates skill set. Wouldn't you agree?.” Will tips his head to one side and crosses his arms.

“Is there something you want to say Tesla, because I want to go bed” he drawls. Nikola raises his eyebrows and purses his lips, looking innocently about.

“No, no, off you go young William. I wish you pleasant dreams,” the vampire replies and Will takes a step forward. Nikola makes a gentle sighing noise as Will passes and he pauses, turning his head to meet Tesla's gaze for a moment. Tesla smiles at him through slitted eyes and Will watches as he saunters away down the hall and slips inside the room.

“Ah Nikola, you must come and look at this,” Magnus voice drifts down the corridor and Tesla turns to grin at Will, a smug, malicious gleam in his eye as he slowly closes the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there. It's finally complete. I know a lot of you are going to be displeased at the ending, frankly, so am I but there really wasn't any other way it could go. There just isn't a happy ending for this pair. Apologies. I never really meant for this story to go the way it has, it got totally out of hand. As you can see, it's hard to write this pair because every time you put them together they make you write them getting each other's clothes off. Thanks to everyone who followed and waited so patiently for updates and I hope you are not too disappointed with how it turned out. Namaste!


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